Ojamajo Doremi Worldwide: Lost on Crystal Island
by S.P.D. Gold Ranger
Summary: The Ojamajo Doremi Worldwide movie. When Nick and the girls are shot down by Majotourbillon, they land on a mysterious island and encounter an even more mysterious girl who may know why Majotourbillon wants to get her greasy hands on the island's power...
1. Act 1: Perchance to Dream

(Prologue, written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"So, Hazuki-chan, what's our ETA to Shamar?"

"Should be about another hour or so, Kellysi-chan."

"CAN WE PLEASE HURRY UP?!"

"Sheesh, Yuki-chan, could you please calm down?"

This was the kind of chatter going on between Nick Kelly, Hazuki Fujiwara, Yuki Shinoya, and Sasami Kawai. The four teenagers were currently on a quest to reunite the shattered fragments of the world.

As of this point in their adventure, they had already restored five of the eight continents, and were currently on their way to the deserts of Shamar.

"You really need to loosen up, Yuki-chan," Sasami stated, giggling a bit.

"I know that, Sasami-chan, but I'M SO BORED!!!!" Yuki nearly screamed. "It's not fair that Saiki-kun went back to Spagonia!!! I miss him already!!"

"He's the one who volunteered, Yuki-chan," Nick responded. "Saiki-kun apparently knows quite a bit about the Gaia Manuscripts, so he should be able to help us find out what we need to know about Dark Gaia's awakening."

"Why don't you just listen to the radio or something, Yuki-chan?" Sasami asked. She suddenly felt the other three pairs of eyes fixed on her.

"What?"

Before anyone could answer that, something shot from below, just barely missing the Sky Star.

"What the hell was that?!" Nick exclaimed, taking a look at the radar.

"I have no idea what just fired at us," Hazuki stated. "All this fog is jamming the sensors!!"

"Great, so we don't even know what we're up against, and we can't even fight back because of that!!" Yuki exclaimed, waving her arms around. "What else could POSSIBLY go wrong?!"

Almost as if to answer Yuki's inquiry, another laser blast shot from the sky, striking the Sky Star dead-on and sending it falling down to the nearby island.

"Why did you have to say that, Yuki-chan?!" Sasami exclaimed.

"BRACE FOR IMPACT!!!" Hazuki screamed.

And then, there was nothing.

(Author's Note: All right, time for the opening sequence! Our song today will be "Sora" by Hearts Grow!! Isn't it odd that I'd pick Hearts Grow songs for both the series AND the movie? It's either odd or a coincidence, I'm just not sure which...)

_itsuka miorosu koto ni tsukareta sora wa_

_aoi iro o nakusu darou ka_

(Footage: We can see the Sky Star flying over the skies of Crystal Island as the opening begins. Nick is seated beside Hazuki, who's piloting the plane, and Yuki and Sasami are sitting on the wings, scanning the airspace.)

_tobikau musuu no kanjou no ue_

_aoi sora wa hitotsu dake_

(Footage: Yuki suddenly spots something, signaling to Nick and Hazuki. The orange witch nods, piloting the Sky Star into an apparent crossfire taking place close to the island. As the four disappear off-camera, the movie's logo appears onscreen.)

_dokoka de kikoeru arasoi mo_

_sugusoba ni aru waraikoe mo_

(Footage: Tsubaki stands on top of a plateau overlooking the island. Her hairclip is shining brightly in the morning sun, and she has a bright smile on her face.)

_itsudatte subete wa kikoenai_

_story wa hitotsu dakara_

(Footage: All of a sudden, something speeds by Tsubaki, nearly knocking her off balance. We cut to Nick boosting forward, plowing through many of Majotourbillon's robots on the way. Quick cut to Sasami following Nick and Yuki trying to keep up.)

_hirogaru sekai no chigau basho ni onaji shunkan_

(Footage: Cut to Majotourbillon's lair, where the dark witch is observing the situation on Crystal Island. She turns towards one of her boss robots, laughing menacingly.)

_ochita kanashimi egao mo douji ni miru no wa kono sora dake_

(Footage: Inside a mysterious realm of darkness, a figure wearing a witches' robe, yet cloaked completely in shadow, is using a crystal ball to observe Nick and Sasami. Cut back to Crystal Island where Nick and Sasami leap off of a plateau and boost forward, disappearing off-screen.)

_itsuka miorosu koto ni tsukareta sora wa_

_aoi iro o nakusu darou ka_

(Footage: Cut to Yuki using her Shadow Claw to slice through more of Majotourbillon's robots, only to be confronted by a mysterious person. Yuki grins and readies her Shadow Claw.)

_kazoekirenai dorama o nagame_

_naze kawarazu ni irareru no?_

(Footage: Hazuki can be seen piloting the Sky Star through swarms of dark creatures, firing the weapons at a machine that looks very similar to the Ghost Cauldron.)

_nanimo shirazu ni hitobito wa yuku_

_kyou mo sorezore no story e_

(Footage: Switch to Sasami running along the walls of the canyons, avoiding strike after strike from the same shadowed figure we saw earlier. She eventually leaps back onto solid ground, sticking her tongue out at the cloaked figure before boosting away.)

_tobikau musuu no kanjou no ue_

_aoi sora wa hitotsu dake_

(Footage: Cut over to Nick, who's still boosting through more robots, only to stop right in front of Tsubaki, who looks startled. Nick just pats her on the shoulder before boosting off again, leaving Tsubaki a little confused.)

_kotoba mo naku_

_dare yori mo nagaku_

(Footage: Hazuki leaps out of the Sky Star while Yuki jumps into the air. Sasami continues to boost forward, eventually joining hands with Nick.)

_toki o kizande_

(Footage: Nick, Sasami, Yuki, and Hazuki all land in front of Tsubaki, striking their signature poses just as the sequence ends. Tsubaki just scratches the back of her head.)

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(The sun rises on a new day and brand new adventures.)

**S.P.D. Gold Ranger** and **YukiShinoya444** present:

Takeshi Kusao as Nick Kelly

Saeko Chiba as Yuki Shinoya

Chisa Yokoyama as Sasami Kawai

Tomoko Akiya as Hazuki Fujiwara

Sawa Ishige as Poppu Harukaze

Sakura Tange as Akemi Suzuki

Aya Hirano as Moriko Takahashi

Atsuko Enomoto as Kurumi Sayoko

and Yui Makino as Tsubaki Hoshiyo

_Ojamajo Doremi Worldwide: Lost on Crystal Island_

Movie Created: May 5th, 2009

Movie Finished: May 27th, 2009

Summary: Putting the world back together may seem like a lot of trouble, but it's really all in a day's work for world travelers Nick and Sasami. However, on their way to the deserts of Shamar, Nick, Yuki, Hazuki, and Sasami are shot down by Majotourbillon's air forces, landing on a strange island that can't be found on any maps. Knowing that they're hopelessly lost, the quartet decide to explore the island. Little do they know that Majotourbillon has her own designs on this mysterious island, and there's a girl here who may know the secrets of the island and why the dark witch wants to get her greasy hands on the island's power...

Disclaimer: Neither Yuki-chan nor I own ANYTHING of Ojamajo Doremi or Sonic Unleashed, though we really wish we did. The series and all of its affiliations belong to Toei Animation and whoever licenses it for their particular country. Sonic Unleashed also belongs to Sega and Sonic Team. Let's rock!

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Act 1: Perchance to Dream

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

There was a slight whisper as the wind blew, and a voice can be heard singing.

"_Konna ni mo tooku e futari wa kite shimatte_

_(Even when we traveled so far...)_

_ano koro no_

_(From that distant place)_

_osanai kimi no hohemi ni mou kaerenai ne_

_(Now we can't return to those days of your smiles)_

_kimi ga warau sekai ni suki de_

_(I want us to be in love, within a world where you can smile)_

_soba ni itai sore dake wasurekaketa itami wo mune ni"_

_(And that's how I think about with this locked up pain.)_

Long, rich light blue hair can be flowing with the wind as we pan up to the figure of a girl, wearing a frilly white dress, with a pink camellia entwined into the side of her hair.

She sighs, holding her hand over her heart. The girl soon snaps up at the sound of a crash, and jumps to her feet.

"It can't be..."

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"Owww..."

Sasami moaned as she jumped up, rubbing her head.

"Talk about a rough landing!!" she exclaimed, sighing heavily before she looked around in curiosity.

_Wait a minute..._

"...Hey... Where did Nick go?"

Looking around once again, the aqua-haired girl took in a deep breath.

"HEY!! NICK!! YOU OUT THERE?! YUKI-CHAN?! HAZUKI-CHAN?! HELLO~?!"

No response.

Sasami gulped and looked around again, now frightened.

_Oh no... Oh no... Oh no... Looks like I'm by myself!!_

"N-N-NIIIICK!!"

"Ow... You don't have to scream so loud, Sasami-chan..."

She instantly perked up at the voice, spinning around and saw Nick standing there, picking at his ear.

"Seriously..." he noted, sighing. "Great lungs."

"NICK!!" Sasami exclaimed, throwing her arms around him, earning a deep blush.

"C-Calm down, Sasami-chan!! You know I'd never leave you alone..." Nick stammered a bit, sighing.

_Man... This girl..._

"I know, I know," she responded, a bit giddily. "I'm just so happy!!"

Nick had to fight down a laugh at that.

_Oh, Sasami-chan..._

"Right... Now we just need to find Yuki-chan and Hazuki-chan..."

"You don't need to worry about me, Kellysi-chan," he heard Hazuki giggle behind him as she walked up, wiping the dust off her glasses.

"Oh, Hazuki-chan... There you are."

The green witch grinned at that, relieved.

"I'm happy you're alright."

The orange witch just nodded, putting her glasses back on as she adjusted them.

_Good..._

"Only problem is... Our ship... It's crashed."

Nick had to groan as she held up a piece of rubble.

"Great... So we're stranded?"

"Not unless we can find some parts on this island..." Hazuki murmured, sighing.

_But otherwise... We are in some serious trouble..._

"But... We should be fine..."

_I'm still worried..._

Nick nodded.

_Right... We've got a bit of an issue here._

"But!!" Sasami exclaimed, jumping in with a grin. "Look at the bright side!! At least we're all in one piece!!"

_That must count for something!!_

Nick and Hazuki stared at her, and just smiled.

"Sasami-chan..."

"And speaking of all being here..." she continued, looking about. "Where's Yuki-chan?"

At that, BOTH Nick and Hazuki went blank.

_Yu... Yuki-chan...?_

"I-I thought she was with you, Hazuki-chan!!" Nick exclaimed, pointing in shock.

"And I was sure she was with you..." Hazuki returned, blushing like mad.

Sasami's own expression went blank.

"Eh...?"

_So... She's not here..._

"Oh, geez..." Nick groaned as he stomped forward.

"We better find Yuki-chan, and QUICK."

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Meanwhile, the black witch herself could be seen out sleeping in the middle of the woods, a small squirrel seen sniffing her cheek, making her giggle a bit.

"Saiki-kun... Cut that out... Silly..."

Curious, the small animal licked her cheek, earning a light laugh.

"Oh, Saiki-kun... You're making me feel so embarrassed..."

It perked back, confused, and Yuki rolled over, scaring it off.

"Sheesh... Don't beat around the bush... I won't mind..."

Her eyes soon fluttered open, and she turned confused herself as she got up.

"Saiki-kun...?"

_Oh, he's not here... WAIT A MINUTE._

Her brown eyes widened in shock and she jumped up to her feet, looking about.

"Nick-kun?! Hazuki-chan?! Sasami-chan?! Where are you?!"

_Oh man... Don't tell me I'm lost!!_

"C-Come on you guys, this seriously isn't funny!!"

She groaned and put her hands on her hips.

"Okay, Shinoya... You've really done it this time... But it'll be okay!! I'm sure I can find Nick-kun before something happens!! Ahahaha..."

Yuki's laughing stopped, her eyebrow twitched as she sulked.

"Oh, I'm a goner. And right before Saiki-kun and I could get married and have kids..."

_Darn it..._

"...But whatever!!" the black witch exclaimed, taking a step forward...

...Only to fall into a pitfall, letting out a yelp.

"WHO DUG A STUPID HOLE HERE?!"

She noticed the same squirrel from earlier glancing at her from the top, making her raise her eyebrows.

"What are you looking at, buddy?"

The squirrel's nose twitched, and scampered out, making her snap.

"HEY!! DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!! COME BACK!! HELP ME!!"

Finally, she realized something.

_I'm already talking to squirrels... I'm already going insane..._

"I hope Nick-kun can find me soon..."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"So, here's the question that I'm sure is on all of our minds... exactly where the hell are we?" Nick wondered as he, Hazuki, and Sasami continued searching for parts to repair the damaged Sky Star.

"Let me check..." Hazuki stated, hands going to her watch, which also included a GPS tracking system.

After a few seconds, Hazuki let out a gasp of confusion. "That's weird... the scanner says we're in the middle of the ocean... but that can't be right..."

"Maybe something on the island is interfering with the scanners?" Nick assumed.

"I don't think that's it," Hazuki responded. "If something was messing with my scanners, I'd be able to tell what it was. But I'm not getting any interference at all."

"What kind of place is this?" Sasami asked.

"Good question..." Nick responded. "I'm sensing a strange aura somewhere on the island... it's faint, but it's incredibly strong... and that worries me..."

"Why is it worrying you so badly, Kellysi-chan?" Hazuki asked, a little curious.

"If Majotourbillon discovers that power... I really don't want to have to deal with her when we're hopelessly lost on an island that isn't even on a map..." Nick explained.

"SOMEONE HELP!!!!!"

Everyone jumped at that.

"Wait!! That was Yuki-chan, wasn't it?" Sasami exclaimed. "What if she's in trouble?!"

"Then we're just gonna have to go find her," Nick responded, tensing up. "You ready to rip, Sasami-chan?"

Sasami perked up at that. "You'd better believe I am!! It's been ages since I've been able to go full-out!!"

Nick nodded, shifting into a running stance. "All right, then, on my signal."

Nick focused on the woods just ahead, which was there that insanely loud shout had come from. Sometimes Nick wondered how Yuki had such powerful lungs.

"Okay. Here we..."

_Three... two... one..._

"GO!!!"

With that, Nick and Sasami shot off into the woods, kicking up a bit of a dust cloud at the start of their running.

"Ah, Kellysi-chan really hasn't changed a bit, has he?" Hazuki giggled.

"Not a bit."

Hazuki spun around at this.

"Poppu-chan?!"

Indeed, the tiny red witch was standing right behind Hazuki.

"How'd you get here, Poppu-chan?"

"That's a good question..." Poppu responded. "The last thing I remember is falling asleep after I finished my piano practice, and somehow I woke up here."

"This island just gets stranger and stranger with each passing second..." Hazuki noted.

"Yeah, but I'm used to that," Poppu giggled.

Unseen by the two of them, the same blue-haired girl from before can be seen watching them from the bushes.

"Interesting..."

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"TREE!!!" Sasami exclaimed, prompting Nick to a quick step to the left in order to dodge.

"Really thick woods, huh?" Sasami wondered as she continued to rush forward alongside Nick.

"I'm used to stuff like this," Nick responded. "We COULD just boost right through them, but what fun would that be?"

Sasami giggled at that.

All of a sudden, spheroid robots dropped down onto the path ahead.

Nick groaned. "I knew it. Majotourbillon's already here."

"Let's just boost through them!!" Sasami stated. "We do have to find Yuki-chan, right?"

Nick nodded, joining hands with Sasami.

The instant they'd gotten close enough to the throng of robots, a blue aura surrounded the two teenagers, allowing them to shoot forward so fast, it appeared that they had broken right through the sound barrier.

Nick couldn't help but grin at seeing the robots thrown aside like leaves once they'd made contact with their charging selves.

"TAKE THAT!!!!" Sasami exclaimed, to which Nick couldn't help but laugh.

Once the robots were cleared away, Nick and Sasami leaped off of a makeshift ramp and went flying into the air, right over another crowd of robots.

"Serves you right!!" Sasami taunted.

_This girl..._ Nick thought with a bit of a silent laugh.

After a bit more running, Nick and Sasami eventually broke out of the woods and ran into an open area along the shore of the island.

"Wow... it looks so pretty here..." Sasami swooned.

"Hey, Sasami-chan, can you save the romantic fantasies for later?" Nick stated. "We've got a hyper twilight witch to find, right?"

Sasami almost instantly snapped out of it at that. "WHERE ARE YOU, YUKI-CHAN?!!"

"I don't think that's going to help..." Nick sweatdropped.

All of a sudden, something broke the surface of the nearby water and flew in front of Nick and Sasami. The two was surprised to see Majotourbillon... well, they were actually more surprised to see Majotourbillon in a rebuilt Ghost Devil Ray.

"What the heck? Didn't we already fry that flounder of a fish stick?!" Sasami exclaimed.

"Weren't expecting this, were you?" Majotourbillon taunted, laughing maniacally.

"You're apparently not too smart, then," Nick shot back. "If we destroyed that thing once, we can easily do it again!!"

"Wrong again, brat!!" Majotourbillon cackled. "I've rebuilt all my old machines and made modifications that you won't possibly be able to get around!! No one, ESPECIALLY not you brats, will be able to stop me from getting my hands on this island's hidden power!!"

"See, I KNEW you were up to something here!!" Nick challenged. "Now I have a REASON to kick your butt from here to Holoska!!"

"Just try it!!" Majotourbillon exclaimed.

With that, Nick and Sasami rushed forward, ready to confront the Ghost Devil Ray.

"We'd better be careful, Nick," Sasami noted. "If what she says is true, we have no idea what she's added to that mechanized flounder..."

"Fine by me," Nick grinned. "I like a challenge."

Meanwhile, unseen to the combatants, the same blue-haired girl from earlier was watching these events unfold.

"Just who are these people...?"

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Alright, Sasami-chan, get ready!!"

"Yes!!"

Hazuki just gulped, adjusting her glasses.

_Kellysi-chan... Sasami-chan..._

"I'm sure they'll be fine, Hazuki-chan!!" Poppu exclaimed, putting her hands on her hips. "And I mean it, too!"

She grinned at the orange witch, chuckling.

"I'm much surer than onee-chan, after all."

_Of course, of course._

Hazuki had to giggle at that, and nodded.

_Oh, Poppu-chan..._

"Alright."

"Should we use the same strategy as last time?" Sasami asked, looking at Nick with her curious ruby red eyes.

Nick blinked, and had to laugh at that.

_Saiki-kun always said that the same thing never happens twice..._

"Sasami-chan..."

_Besides, that would be boring._

"Let's try something else."

"Okay!!" Sasami exclaimed, as cheery as ever.

Nick cracked a smile himself, and grinned.

_Sasami-chan..._

"Alright, then!!"

_Let's do this!!_

"_The bow and string of a determined boy, take this!! Ojamajo Arrow of Light!!"_

Majotourbillon just smirked at that, and sprung a barrier that blocked his attack with ease.

"Did you seriously think a weak attack like that could get through?"

Nick smirked in return.

_Of course not. It's never that easy._

"Alright, test run's over. Sasami-chan?"

Sasami looked at him, and smiled.

"Ready to go?"

"Of course!!"

With that the two split in different directions, bolting around the Ghost Devil Ray, Majotourbillon looked about, confused.

"What are they...?"

"NOW!!" they both exclaimed, hopping over the massive beast, throwing their hands down to aim.

"Focus your energy, Sasami-chan," Nick quickly advised.

_We need to still be careful..._

Sasami just nodded.

_Of course..._

"Right."

With that, crimson red energy filled up in their palms, shooting down at a surprised Majotourbillon.

"No..."

The former queen blocked the attack herself, wincing.

_My, those two are getting even stronger..._

She soon huffed.

_But..._

The attack flickered off, surprising the two as they landed.

"Wow... Majotourbillon's learned a few new things." Nick noted, a bit surprised.

_But that's anything but a good thing._

"Kellysi-chan!!" Poppu exclaimed.

_No way!!_

"Sasami-chan!!" Hazuki exclaimed as well.

_Oh no!!_

"Please be careful!!" they yelled at the same time.

Majotourbillon sighed, and smoothed back some of her hair.

"As much as I love to destroy you brats..."

Nick tensed up at this, and Sasami clutched his sleeves.

"There's something I'm looking for, and I must get it soon."

She flickered her eyes to the side.

_The girl who resides here... She must be caught and taken._

"So, for now. Farewell."

Nick could only gasp as he saw her image beginning to fade.

"No!!"

He broke into a dash.

"Majotourbillon, we need to finish this!! WAIT!!"

Just as he reached out, she disappeared, and he growled.

"Coward..."

"Nick!!" Sasami exclaimed, dashing forward as well. Nick huffed.

"Darn it..."

Hazuki and Poppu just frowned, and sighed themselves.

"Kellysi-chan..."

"Fine," the green witch sighed, slumping a bit. "Let's get back to Yuki-chan."

_Now that I know Majotourbillon's here... I'm really worried._

Sasami just nodded.

"O-Okay."

Nick nodded, and they were off, Hazuki and Poppu close behind them.

Still unknownist to them, the girl watching sighed herself.

"I can't believe it..."

Her hair seemed to turn a rich lavender in the shadows as she brushed it back, her hand delicately caressing the woven in camellia.

"I don't have to wait... But..."

She gulped, hiding completely behind the tree.

"But... I must wait... Yes... I must wait."

Suddenly, Nick fell into a pitfall, freaking.

"WHOAH!!"

"Nick!!" Sasami exclaimed as she looked from overhead, gulping.

"Um... Are you...?"

The green witch growled.

"Who dug a hole in the middle of a freaking island?"

Hazuki giggled, and Poppu sighed.

"Oh well, better get him out."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

Meanwhile, in a mysterious, far-away void, a cloaked figure in a witch outfit can be seen monitoring the situation.

"So... it appears that I have a little competition when it comes to that girl."

The cloaked figure gestured to a crystal ball that was close by.

"I will not have some whiny little amateur mess with my plans for that girl. Majotourbillon will have to watch her back, lest she get annihilated by someone ten times her caliber."

The cloaked figure cackled evilly.

"This shall be rather interesting, then."

The cloaked figure then turned towards another crystal ball, which projected an image of three other witch apprentices.

"I shall have my revenge on them. And I'll need those three to do it."

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"You know what? To hell with this," Nick groaned, aiming his hand towards the ground.

"_The bow and string of a determined boy, take this!! Ojamajo Arrow of Light!!"_

Nick fired his special attack into the ground below him, using it to propel himself up and out of the hole.

"So, why didn't you do that before, Nick?" Sasami asked.

Nick decided not to answer that.

"So, what would Majotourbillon-san be doing here?" Poppu wondered.

"She knows something about the island," Nick responded. "And I'm willing to bet she's after that insanely strong power I sensed earlier."

"So, what should we do about it?" Hazuki asked.

"What else? Stop Majotourbillon, and kick her butt from here to Holoska," Nick proclaimed, to which Sasami giggled.

"Well, then, let's go find her," Sasami responded. "I'm willing to bet that if we catch up with her, there's a good chance we'll find what she's looking for..."

"...and hopefully stop her from getting it," Nick finished for the aqua-haired girl. "You two keep searching for the parts we need, okay? Sasami-chan and I still have to go find Yuki-chan."

"Got it, Kellysi-chan," Hazuki stated.

Poppu just gave a cute little salute.

And with that, Nick and Sasami rushed off towards the woods.

_Meanwhile..._

In a field of bushes somewhere to the north, two girls pop out from the foliage, a little exhausted but otherwise okay.

"You all right, Akemi-chan?" the first girl asked.

"Yeah, I should be," the other girl responded. "That was kinda nerve-wracking, wasn't it, Moriko-chan?"

"That Ghost Beetle thing didn't stand a chance," Moriko proclaimed. "I'm just glad I was able to save you, Akemi-chan."

Akemi just blushed at that.

"It was worth it getting to be your cute savior, huh?" Moriko asked, to which Akemi's blush just intensified.

"Oh, you're flattering me, Moriko-chan."

"I'm just saying what's true."

Before the crystal witch could comment further on this, something shot by the two, nearly knocking them over.

"What just happened?!" Moriko exclaimed.

"Felt like a sonic boom," Akemi noted.

"Wait, wait, wait. That was no sonic boom!! That was Nick-kun!!" Moriko exclaimed. "Come on, Akemi-chan, we've gotta follow him!!"

Nodding, Moriko and Akemi joined hands before rushing off after Nick.

_Back to Nick and Sasami..._

"Wow, it seems even MORE romantic on this side of the island!!" Sasami giggled.

Nick could only sweatdrop as the two of them rushed through the woods. _She really needs to tune down the romantic fantasies..._

Sasami leaped over a barrier, boosting forward just in time to avoid a spike pit. Nick continued this trend by sliding under a low-hanging tree trunk that seemed to have been uprooted in the chaos.

"Definitely a weird island in terms of geography," Nick noted.

Nick made it a point to leap over a pitfall he encountered, not wanting to fall for that trick again.

"HEY!!! GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!!!"

Nick immediately skidded to a stop upon hearing that proclamation.

"Wait, that was Yuki-chan!!" Nick remembered, spinning around and charging back to the hole he'd just leaped over.

"Yuki-chan?" Nick asked. "Are you all right?"

"For the most part, yeah," Yuki responded. "NOW GET ME OUT OF THIS DAMN HOLE!!!! I DON'T WANT TO GO INSANE BY TALKING TO SQUIRRELS!!!!"

Nick and Sasami sweatdropped at that.

"Okay, hold your horses, Yuki-chan. We're on our way."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Unknowist to then, the same mystery girl from earlier was watching them as she hopped to the bush, confusion lit on her features.

"Okay, Yuki-chan!" Nick called out, extending his hand towards Yuki. "Just grab my hand, and I'll hoist you up."

Yuki blinked in confusion and gulped before reaching out for his hand.

_I-I'm actually a little scared, but..._

"I-I'll trust you, Nick-kun!!"

The green witch had to grin at that when he felt the black witch's soft hand in his, closing his hand around hers.

_Alright..._

"Hold on tight, Yuki-chan!!"

"O-Okay!!"

With that he pulled Yuki up, grunting a bit.

"Careful... Easy does it, Yuki-chan..."

His childhood friend yelped as he pulled her close, her free arm instinctively wrapping around his neck, which was something that made him blush.

_Wow... She's so light and soft..._

He tried to ignore that and quickly shook his head.

_Wait... No... No way!! Saiki-kun would kill me if I thought that now!!_

The mystery girl's expression turned surprised as she watched this touching (and rather awkward as well, actually) scene.

"O-Oh my..." she exhaled, a blush blooming on her own, delicate features.

Nick pulled Yuki up and set her down near the top, sighing as he placed his free hand on her waist, keeping her steady.

_Right... Right..._

The black witch whimpered, clutching tightly on his shoulder as her feet touched the ground, and she let out a simple sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness... Thanks, Nick-kun."

"N-No problem," Nick replied, still a bit flustered as they separated. "Um... Yuki-chan..."

"Hm?"

Yuki blinked in sweet, earnest confusion.

"What's up, Nick-kun?"

"I-It's nothing," he hastily responded, shaking his head.

_Sheesh... Why would I even THINK of Yuki-chan like that?_

Nick fervently blushed, gulping.

_What's wrong with me? Oh, Yuki-chan..._

"Yay!!" Sasami exclaimed, quickly glomping Yuki. "I'm so, so, SO happy we found you, Yuki-chan!!"

Yuki just laughed, returning the embrace.

"I am too, Sasami-chan..."

She turned to smile at Nick, who just blushed again.

She turned confused.

_Nick-kun?_

"Hey... Nick-kun?"

Nick nearly choked, but quickly looked at her, his blush increasing.

"Y-Yes... Yuki-chan?"

Yuki cocked an eyebrow, her brown eyes sparkling.

_Um..._

"Are you feeling ill? Your face is all red, Nick-kun..."

_Does he have a fever maybe?_

"O-Oh..." he exhaled, laughing a bit, ruffling his hair. "It's fine, it's fine, Yuki-chan."

_Completely...fine..._

Yuki blinked once in confusion but smiled.

_Nick-kun!_

"I'm glad!!"

_I was actually really worried!!_

Nick had to smile back.

_She..._

"Yuki-chan..."

_She really is cute..._

Yuki's smile brightened and she took Sasami's hand, holding it up high.

"Okay~! Let's go find the others then, okay?"

Sasami nodded vigorously.

"That's right, Yuki-chan~!"

Nick had to laugh at that.

_These girls..._

The mystery girl gulped, her own blush intensifying.

"...Interesting..."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Aw man... We're lost again, Akemi-chan..."

Akemi looked about as she sighed.

"I sure hope Nick-kun doesn't need our help or anything..."

Moriko huffed, pulling the crystal witch close, making her flush red.

"I'm more worried about _you_, Akemi-chan. Stay close to me."

Akemi just nodded, her blush intensifying.

"M-Moriko-chan..."

With that they walked forward, the two of them looking about.

Akemi suddenly gasped, and yanked Moriko forward.

"The ground's too soft, Moriko-chan!!"

The jade witch looked as confused as heck, but understood as soon as the ground collapsed into another pitfall.

The girls started hopping, Akemi performing flips and cartwheels as she dodged the pitfalls, making Moriko laugh as they landed.

"Great job, Akemi-chan!!" she exclaimed just before falling into her own pitfall, earning a yelp.

"M-MORIKO-CHAN?!"

"Urk... Just help me out here, Akemi-chan."

The crystal witch didn't hesitate getting her friend out of there.

"Thanks..." Moriko muttered, patting her head in thanks.

Akemi blushed, and they just continued.

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And back to our trio...

"See anything, Nick-kun?"

"Nope."

"I don't either."

Yuki sighed as she folded her arms, groaning.

"Sheesh..."

"Yuki-chan?" a melodic voice rang out, making Yuki perk up. "Yuki-chan? Is that you?"

"Kurumi-chan!!" she exclaimed in glee, rushing forward to hug the approaching gray witch.

"Yuki-chan..." Kurumi sighed, returning the embrace. "Am I glad you're alright..."

She then noticed Nick and Sasami, who cheerfully waved.

"Um... Hi, Nick-kun?"

"It's a long story, Kurumi-chan," he laughed.

Kurumi made an "oh" sound.

"I see..."

"Who are you?"

THIS made the four flinch, Nick looked up and his eyes widened. Yuki and Kurumi separated, gulping.

There, lying against a broken tree, was the mystery girl. Her hair was its usual lavender in the shadows, and she sat there, holding a silk blanket close, her pure amethyst eyes sparkling in fear and confusion.

Yuki and Kurumi looked at each other, and Sasami gasped.

"She's so...pretty!!"

The girl raised an eyebrow but looked to the side, her grip tightening on the silk fabric.

"You guys are scaring me... Who are you?"

"W-We come in peace!!" Yuki had to exclaim, making Kurumi sweatdrop before smiling comfortingly.

"We're just passing through... Sorry if we scared you..."

The new girl looked doubtful at that, and noticed something about Yuki.

"...Dirty. You're very dirty."

Yuki blushed, fiddling with her skirt.

"Only because of all of the damn pitfalls!! Sheesh!!"

She held the blanket closer in fear, and Yuki's anger faded.

"I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean to scare you..."

Nick stepped forward, holding his hands out to show he was harmless.

"We won't hurt you miss... And that's a promise. I never break my promises."

She tossed the blankets to the side, her eyes sparkling in uncertainty.

"Who... Who are you, though?"

"I'm Shinoya Yuki, at your service!!" Yuki exclaimed, quickly taking Nick's arm. "This is Nick-kun, this is Kurumi-chan, and..."

"I'm Sasami!!" Sasami squealed, jumping forward with her hand out. "Nice to meet you, pretty miss!!"

The girl's hand twitched but she looked towards Yuki, gulping.

Yuki blinked, and just smiled.

"So... What's your name?"

The mystery girl bit her lip for a few moments but answered in the softest of voices.

"Hoshiyo... Tsubaki."

"Tsubaki-chan!!" Yuki exclaimed, bowing. "Nice to meet you!!"

Tsubaki blinked, but bowed as well.

"But first... dirty."

"Sorry," Kurumi laughed, patting Yuki's shoulder.

"Bath..." Tsubaki murmured, pointing off into the wood. "There's a clear spring over there..."

"That sounds nice!!" Sasami squealed, latching onto Tsubaki's arm, although she didn't react. "Thank you, Tsubaki-chan!!"

Kurumi's features brightened up.

"A bath?! REALLY?! That sounds so nice!!"

Yuki nodded but soon turned to a confused Nick, glaring.

"Nick-kun, you can't come." Her cheeks puffed. "Because you're a creepy peeping tom!!"

At that, Nick flustered, flailing his arms about like crazy. "I wouldn't DARE to even DREAM about it, Yuki-chan!!"

"Good," she huffed, putting her hands on her hips. "But boys will be boys... If only you were my dear Saiki-kun... Then I wouldn't have to worry..."

Nick stared at her strangely, but said nothing.

Tsubaki blinked, and walked ahead.

"...This way."

Sasami waved goodbye to Nick, and the four girls were off, and Nick just kicked a rock.

"I swear Yuki-chan..."

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"Wow, this feels so, so, SO much nicer than I thought!!"

"Sasami-chan, you shouldn't swim during bathes."

"Aw calm down, Kurumi-chan..."

Kurumi just sighed as Sasami floated on her back in the sparkling water, completely at ease.

"It feels like all my troubles are floating away..."

"It's been a while since I took a bath with anyone..." Kurumi noted, dumping a bucket of water on Yuki as she relaxed with her eyes closed. "It is nice..."

Sasami giggled, and turned to Tsubaki, who was combing her fingers through her now rich, light blue hair.

"Tsubaki-chan..."

"Hm?"

Tsubaki turned to them, and Sasami noticed the wet, pink camellia in her hair.

"Shouldn't you take that flower out of your hair? I mean, I put my hair down, and so did Yuki-chan..."

Yuki and Kurumi looked at each other, and blushed.

"And now it's easier to tell us apart," Yuki muttered, blushing deeply. "There's one blow to my ego right there."

"Sorry..." her look-alike muttered in response, blushing quite darkly as well.

Tsubaki blinked, that same blank look in her eyes.

"...I can wear my flower if I want to."

"Okay, okay..." Sasami murmured, soothing down her aqua-colored hair. "If that's the way you roll, Tsubaki-chan..."

Tsubaki blinked, and sighed.

"We... We should get out now... Too much water is bad..."

Yuki and Kurumi stared at her in confusion, and Tsubaki's amethyst eyes locked onto Yuki's big brown ones.

_I wonder..._

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"That Yuki-chan... she's always so weird..." Nick stated, pacing around and waiting for the girls to come back from their bath.

"She's just like that, Kellysi-chan..." Poppu giggled.

"Yuki-chan KNOWS I'm no peeping tom. So why does she not let me come with her? I could at least stand guard for them... they KNOW that Majotourbillon's running amok on the island..."

"Yuki-chan will always be Yuki-chan," Poppu responded.

Just then, something out of the corner of Nick's eye caught his attention.

_Speaking of which... what was that weird aura I just sensed? It's a powerful dark energy... but it's different from Majotourbillon's aura... what the heck?_

"Everything okay, Kellysi-chan?" Poppu asked.

"I just sensed something weird, Poppu-chan," Nick stated. "I'm gonna go check it out. If the girls get out of the bath and I'm not here, try to keep them calm, okay? The last thing we need is a berserk Yuki-chan."

Poppu couldn't help but giggle at that before giving a pseudo-salute. "Acknowledged, Kellysi-chan."

And with that, Nick rushed off to check on the disturbance.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Meanwhile, back in the springs, Tsubaki's eyes perked up as she noticed the same mysterious aura that Nick had just sensed.

_Wait... was that her?_

Sasami seemed to notice Tsubaki's far-away expression as she dried her aquamarine hair. "What's up, Tsubaki-chan?"

Tsubaki looked off to the side. "Oh... oh, it's nothing..."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Down in the plains, which seemed to be pretty barren, Nick continuously looked around for the source of the mysterious aura...

...and was promptly knocked to the ground by a burst of dark energy.

Nick stood up, and finally got a good look at what had just attacked him: it was a witch who was almost completely cloaked in her rather heavy-looking uniform. Nick was able to catch a glimpse of raven-purple eyes and long black hair that cascaded to about her knees.

"All right, lady, would you care to explain yourself?!" Nick exclaimed, his temper wearing thin.

"You are one of them..." the witch stated. "I see... you were drawn here by the girl as well..."

"Girl? You mean Tsubaki-chan?" Nick wondered. "What does she have to do with your twisted plans?!"

"Never you mind, kid," the witch shot back. "You shall not interfere with my plans. So says the Frightress!!"

With that, the Frightress flew off down the path.

"'Frightress'? What kind of a name is that?" Nick wondered.

Just then, he broke out of his reverie, realizing he had to go after this crazy witch.

"HEY!!! GET BACK HERE!!!" Nick exclaimed, rushing off after the Frightress.

Once Nick had caught up, the Frightress spun around, apparently a little surprised at the fact that Nick was following her.

"So, you actually dare to try and stop me?" the Frightress claimed.

"If you're trying to find this island's power, then yeah!!" Nick shot back. "Dark freaks like you tend to really piss me off!!"

The Frightress just laughed. "Just give up this fruitless defense of the girl, and maybe I'll leave you alone."

"How about no?" Nick taunted.

"Very well, then. You asked for it!!" the Frightress responded, holding her hands towards Nick and unleashing numerous spheres of dark energy. A few well-timed quick steps allowed Nick to come out unharmed.

"Okay... just how do I damage this psycho?" Nick wondered.

Just then, the Frightress spun around, turning into a sort of twister before lunging at Nick.

The green witch swiftly dodged to the side, trying his best to find an opening, but no such luck...

...until the Frightress stopped spinning, and Nick noticed that her back was unprotected.

"That's gotta be it!!" Nick stated to nobody in particular. "Question is, how do I get back there when little miss witch is constantly on the move?"

Nick then noticed that parts of the path ahead seemed to jut out into makeshift ramps.

Nick couldn't help but grin at this. "That'll work just fine."

Ready to initiate his attack plan, Nick put on an extra boost of speed, nearing a ramp without the Frightress being any the wiser.

Eventually, Nick was able to run up one of the ramps and propel himself into the air, flying right over the Frightress.

"What a foolish move," the Frightress taunted.

In a move that the Frightress couldn't see, Nick spun around in midair so that he was facing the Frightress's unprotected back, and the instant his target was in sight, he boosted forward, his charging self striking the dark witch rather painfully.

Nick hopped back to his running position before the Frightress could strike back.

"Okay, this is working," Nick stated. "Just have to keep this up."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Yuki suddenly perked up, confused.

_Eh? Nick-kun?_

She shrugged as she pulled over her usual puff-sleeved magenta-colored shirt, and tugged her bright red skirt over her hips, soothing down the fabric.

_Maybe I'm imagining it... But..._

The black witch zipped her vest, clasping her Magic Bracer from her neck, tying a light yellow satin scarf around her neck.

_But for some reason, I'm worried._

She turned to Kurumi, who was busy sliding on a see-through gray sweater over her usual creamy white blouse. Yuki blinked as she noticed how much that same white shirt showed off the fact that Kurumi looked _very_ mature for her age.

_Urgh..._

Disheartened, she patted her chest, sweatdropping.

_Another profound difference..._

The gray witch perked up as she clasped on her broach, now a bit confused, staring at her look-alike.

_Huh?_

"Yuki-chan?"

Yuki groaned and waved her hand to signal being 'fine'.

"Fine... I'm fine..."

Kurumi raised an eyebrow.

_I doubt it, but..._

She just shrugged, making an 'eh' sound.

But whatever.

"Thanks for the bath, Tsubaki-chan!!" Sasami exclaimed, firmly shaking the island girl's hand. "It was so, so, so nice!!"

Tsubaki blinked.

"...You needed a bath."

Sasami turned confused.

"Well... Yes, but you didn't have to..."

"Oh, Tsubaki-chan's just nice!!" Yuki squealed, flailing her arms about.

Tsubaki gave her another mindless blink and soothed down the ruffles of another "sweet Lolita" styled dress.

"Tsubaki-chan... Mind if I ask how you manage to wear dresses like that stranded here on an island like this?"

Tsubaki looked up at Kurumi's curious smile.

"...I have my sources."

"Oh..."

The two look-alike girls looked at each other.

"I-Interesting..."

The island girl sighed, unaware of the fact that Sasami had latched onto her arm, beaming.

"So~ Let's get going, Tsubaki-chan~!"

"..."

There was a short pause.

"...Okay."

Yuki could only watch as the two continued ahead, and she sweatdropped.

_My... Tsubaki-chan's so interesting..._

Kurumi followed after them as well, taking Yuki's hand.

"Come on, Yuki-chan."

_...Huh... I wonder how Tsubaki-chan manages to keep her dress clean._

The black witch just nodded, and looked off, her expression obviously concerned.

_Nick-kun..._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_Okay... Hurry... Hurry..._

Nick stopped as he noticed Frightress tremble, starting to groan.

"Stupid... kid... You really don't understand..."

"Tell it to someone who cares!!" he shot back, preparing to strike, when his eyes suddenly widened and he fell over, trembling.

"What... did... you... DO?!"

The dark witch chuckled as she stood, her hand glowing a light purple.

"Just twisted up your insides a bit... It'll hurt... But it won't kill you. If you want it to stop, then... Well... Who knows?"

"W-Wait!" he called out as she vanished.

_No..._

He growled, struggling to get up.

_No... Not like this... Not again..._

"Nick-kun?"

Nick's eyes instantly widened as he weakly looked up.

"Akemi-chan... Mori-cha—" he quickly covered his mouth, wincing, feeling like he was about to throw up.

"Nick-kun!!" Akemi exclaimed, immediately bending down to aid her fallen friend, settling his head on her knees, sighing.

"Nick-kun..."

"Akemi-chan, watch Nick-kun." Moriko stated calmly, though her fists were clenched. "If he stops breathing, don't hesitate to save him."

The crystal witch nodded, and Nick gulped, shuddering a bit.

"M-Mori-chan..."

"I've seen your condition before," the jade witch muttered, turning heel to rush off. "I'll be back!!"

"Moriko-chan!!"

Akemi sighed, looking down at the green witch.

"Why don't... Why don't you rest, Nick-kun?"

He just nodded, his eyes fluttering shut.

The crystal witch frowned, her eyes getting watery.

_No..._

"Oh, Nick-kun..."

What happened...?

After a few minutes, thankfully, Moriko returned, carrying several colored grasses and herbs.

"Great... You watched sleeping beauty, Akemi-chan."

Akemi just looked down, and her friend's playful smile vanished as she got to her knees, crushing the grasses into a bowl, sighing.

"I swear... This is where being Mother Nature's gift comes in handy... Akemi-chan, does Nick-kun have any physically-inflicted wounds?"

"There's no blood..." the crystal witch muttered, her eyes halfway open, dazed. "That's... That's a relief..."

I've never seen Nick-kun like this before...

Moriko smiled a little herself, and scooped a bit of the crushed grasses into her mouth, chewing them a little.

"Okay... Don't freak out Momo-chan if she finds out about this..."

She bent over Nick and pressed her lips to his, depositing the organic medicine into his mouth as she quickly separated, wiping off her lips as he unconsciously swallowed, earning her to smile a bit in relief.

"He should be fine, soon..."

Akemi finally smiled.

"You're quite the medical-aid's expert, Moriko-chan..."

"Which reminds me... I'm going to punch him when he wakes up."

This startled her shy friend.

"What?! _Why_?"

The jade witch looked at her with dead seriousness.

"Because that was the first time I ever kissed a boy before."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"_Do you really think you stand a chance?"_

"_I've seen your game."_

"_Don't you dare harm Nick-kun!!"_

"_It is written. You shall assist me in ruling this island!!"_

"_You're insane!!"_

"_I'm hoping that you will understand eventually."_

"_This isn't the time for your games!!"_

"_If you even TOUCH Nick-kun, you're dead meat, lady."_

"_Finally!!! The ultimate power is mine and mine alone!!"_

Nick tried to make sense of all the jumbled voices swimming through his head. Slowly but surely, he opened his eyes, suddenly feeling a lot better after what the Frightress had done to him.

"Whoa," Nick stated once he'd focused himself. "What the heck just happened?"

"Yes!! He's all right!!" Akemi exclaimed, reflexively throwing her arms around Nick.

"Easy, Akemi-chan..." Nick groaned.

"Oh, sorry," Akemi responded, loosening her grip on Nick.

"It's okay, Akemi-chan," Nick stated, returning Akemi's embrace. "I should probably be thanking you two. If you and Mori-chan hadn't come when you did, I'd probably be dead meat by now."

Akemi couldn't help blush at this. "I'm glad we could help you, Nick-kun..."

"So, you can actually admit that you're only human, despite the fact that you have all these amazing powers?" Moriko teased.

"Hey, I'm just a normal kid who happens to have amazing magical abilities," Nick responded. "I'm not really all that defensive... ESPECIALLY when it comes to sneak attacks."

"You're more of an offensive kid, right?" Moriko giggled.

"Pretty much," Nick laughed, separating from Akemi and standing up.

"Oh, speaking of which..."

Just then, Moriko lashed out at Nick, the green witch making it a point to dodge.

"Get back here, you!!" Moriko screamed.

"Mori-chan, what the hell?!" Nick exclaimed, just barely dodging each and every one of Moriko's punches.

The instant Moriko came rushing at him again, Nick boosted away before skidding to a stop not too far from where Akemi was.

"Mori-chan, have you lost your mind?!" Nick exclaimed. "What the hell are you talking about?!"

"You should know!!" Moriko shot back.

Tired of playing around, Nick started running towards Moriko, but went into a boost after a few steps.

Just then...

"WILL YOU TWO KNOCK IT OFF?!" Akemi screamed, holding her hands up to stop the two charging teenagers.

Nick was, in a word, shell-shocked at Akemi's proclamation. "Whoa," Nick stated to nobody in particular. "Remind me not to get on Akemi-chan's bad side..."

Akemi instantly started blushing as she realized what she had just said.

"What exactly is Mori-chan talking about?" Nick wondered.

"Well, when we found you, you were in a bit of trouble," Akemi responded. "You looked like you were about to explode..."

"Because of what the Frightress did to me," Nick responded.

"The who?" Moriko asked.

"That witch creep I was fighting before I ran into you," Nick explained.

"Anyways, when we found you, Moriko-chan made a little medicine, and she gave it to you in a... rather unorthodox method," Akemi continued, her blush intensifying.

"THAT'S why you're so mad, Mori-chan? Because you think I stole your first kiss?" Nick stated, still a bit confused.

"Well, you did!!" Moriko shot back.

"Mori-chan, how do I put this? What Momoko and I do... THAT'S a real kiss. You were just helping me out with a little incident, no matter how unorthodox the method was," Nick explained.

"But you STILL..."

The argument was interrupted by a black energy ball that scattered the trio.

Nick was the first to notice that the Frightress had just reappeared.

"So, you survived my spell..." the Frightress stated. "Perhaps you may be useful to my plans after all..."

"Why don't you can it?!" Moriko responded. _"Sakura Scatter!!!"_

Moriko fired a field of sakura pedals straight towards the Frightress, momentarily blinding her.

"Now take this!! _Magical Leaf!!!_"

With that, Moriko unleashed a swarm of glowing leaves. The Frightress phased in and out to avoid the attack, but was just as quickly struck in the back by the attack.

"Nice try," Moriko taunted. "But my Magical Leaf can follow you anywhere by locking on to your magical signature. You won't be able to pull the wool over my head so easily."

"Such spunk. You are definitely not afraid of the powers I possess," the Frightress noted.

"Lady, for the last seven years of my life, I've been going through what feels like hell when it comes to evil psychopaths," Nick stated. "I'm used to this kinda thing by now."

"Very well, then," the Frightress proclaimed, flying off down the path.

"I don't think so. GET BACK HERE!!!!" Nick exclaimed, boosting off after the Frightress and leaving Akemi and Moriko to catch up.

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Darn, she's fast..." Nick cursed as he ran, still trying to catch up with the mysterious dark witch.

_I need to pick up my pace, at this rate..._

"Mou, Nick-kun!!" Moriko's voice rang out as he spotted her and Akemi close behind, running at high speeds.

"Must you always take the spotlight, Nick-kun?"

"Look Mori-chan, this REALLY isn't the time!!"

"Hmph."

_He's so clueless..._

Moriko stuck her nose up high, as stubborn as usual.

_Stupid..._

"Give me a break. Even the best fighter will come tumbling down eventually."

The green witch just blinked, trying to process her words.

_Mori-chan...._

"...Huh."

"We'll be behind you all the way!!" Akemi cried out, a deep blush escaping to her cheeks. "So you don't have to go alone!!"

"Was there ever a doubt?" Moriko huffed, shaking her fist. "_IDIOT_!!"

_Stupid, stupid, STUPID MORON!!_

Nick blinked once in confusion, but smiled.

_Akemi-chan... Mori-chan..._

"Thanks, you two!! I appreciate it!!"

"You better!!" the jade witch shot back while her childhood friend just nodded.

"Yes!!"

"Good. Stay back..." he advised slowly, infuriating Moriko.

"I'M NO DELICATE FLOWER, NICK-KUN!! I'm going to PROTECT Akemi-chan!!"

Akemi blushed at that.

_Ah..._

"M-Moriko-chan..."

The jade witch nodded at her, and grinned. Akemi's blush deepened and she just smiled.

"Moriko-chan!!"

Nick nodded, and they continue rushing ahead.

_Alright, then!!_

Frightress just cursed, increasing her speed.

_Of course... I still have things to do..._

She instantly flinched, feeling a strange pulse of energy.

"What?!"

"_The waves of my own feelings, take this!! Ojamajo Twilight Rain!!"_

Frightress quickly dodged the incoming attack, gasping.

_No way... Not her..._

"Aw man, I missed the bad guy," a voice pouted as Yuki walked up, folding her arms and beaming.

"What's up?"

Nick stopped as he got close, Akemi and Moriko close behind, surprised at the sight of Yuki.

"Y-Yuki-chan...?"

"Whoa, check it out... It's our own Yuki-chan..."

The black witch perked up, surprised herself.

"Moriko-chan... Akemi-chan..."

She turned back to Frightress, furious.

"_WHAT_ the heck is going on here?!"

"Yuki-chan!!" Kurumi called out as Sasami and Tsubaki also rushed up. "Yuki-chan, there you are!!"

Yuki just clenched her fists, keeping her eyes on the dark witch.

"Nick?" Sasami wondered, worried herself.

Nick's own eyes immediately widened in concern.

_No..._

"Sasami-chan..."

Tsubaki blinked, and looked about.

_Huh...?_

Akemi and Moriko took caution, a little confused.

"Who's the girl, Nick-kun?" Moriko asked in a stiff voice, making Nick perk up.

"Oh... That's Tsubaki-chan..."

Tsubaki seemed to perk up, walking up beside Yuki and up to Frightress, who looked pleasantly surprised.

_My..._

"Well... If it isn't little Hoshiyo Tsubaki..."

_What a pleasant surprise..._

The island girl blinked, and pressed her lips tightly together.

_Her...?_

"You..." she spoke softly, her soft voice sounding expressionless. "It's you..."

_Her... She's here?_

"Tsubaki-chan!!" Sasami exclaimed, rushing in front of Tsubaki, taking defense. "I won't let you hurt Tsubaki-chan!!"

Yuki nodded in agreement.

"What do you want with Tsubaki-chan anyway?!"

Frightress smirked.

"Let Hoshiyo answer that question... But alas, young princess of twilight... This is not your place..."

At that, Tsubaki's eyes widened, and a wave of surprise washed over her features as she stared at Yuki, amazed.

"Impossible... Yuki-chan can't be..."

The black witch pursued her lips, her clenched fists shaking.

"It's so easy to tell..."

Tsubaki's eyes went blank at that simple statement.

_Impossible..._

"Alas, Hoshiyo... It is time to separate..." Frightress started, standing up.

Tsubaki took caution, amethyst eyes glittering.

"_Au revoir_," the dark witch stated, smirking as she disappeared. "Don't forget your destiny..."

As soon as she was gone, everyone looked at Tsubaki.

"Okay Tsubaki-chan," Nick snapped, getting straight to the point. "What was that all about?"

Tsubaki just looked down, fiddling with the hem of her dress.

"It was a surprise... If you must know, Frightress only looks for power..."

"What bad guy doesn't?" Kurumi wondered, shaking her head as she took Yuki's hand. "But we need to get off this island, right?"

Yuki nodded, putting her hands together in a prayer.

"Right... The closer I am to my Saiki-kun the better..."

Tsubaki blinked, and sighed, going off ahead. Sasami perked up, and went after her.

"Wait, Tsubaki-chan!!"

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"Okay... this just keeps getting weirder and weirder..." Nick noted. "Just how the heck does the Frightress know Tsubaki-chan?"

"Beats me, Nick-kun..." Yuki responded.

"Tsubaki-chan said something about a power..." Akemi noticed. "Is that what the Frightress is after?"

"Tsubaki-chan said the Frightress is only looking for power... maybe she's looking for something specific?" Kurumi asked.

"If it's not one thing with these stupid villains, it's always another," Moriko growled.

"I'm worried about Tsubaki-chan..." Sasami stated. "I mean, I barely know her, but I still want to be friends with her!!"

Just then, a loud scream from Tsubaki caught everyone's attention.

"Guess that's our cue to get over there!!" Nick exclaimed.

Not wasting any time, Nick and the party rushed over to where they'd heard the scream, only to see Tsubaki caught in the grip of a gigantic mechanical ape robot being controlled by none other than Majotourbillon.

"I thought we'd be seeing you again," Nick teased.

"Why don't you just give your big mouth a rest?!" Majotourbillon shot back. "This girl and her otherworldly power belong to me now!!"

"What's so special about Tsubaki-chan that you have to go and kidnap her?!" Moriko exclaimed.

"Never you mind, nature brat," Majotourbillon sneered.

This seemed to get Moriko into a bit of a huff. "WHAT did you call me?"

Before Majotourbillon could respond with a snotty remark, Moriko had already rushed forward and slammed her foot into the ape machine with the force of a runaway freight train, sending the oversized robotic primate off balance.

"Maybe THAT'LL teach you not to call people names like that!!" Moriko exclaimed.

"Do you really think I care about such trivial matters?" Majotourbillon shot back. "This girl's power shall be mine!!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!!" Nick exclaimed, shifting into battle stance, Sasami not too far behind.

"You wretched brats have been impeding my plans since day one!!" Majotourbillon exclaimed. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy destroying you!!"

The Ghost Kong then began pounding the ground relentlessly, creating shockwaves that kept Nick and the girls back.

"Okay, I've had about enough of shockwaves today!!!" Nick exclaimed, rushing forward.

Dodging around the stretching arms of the Ghost Kong, Nick leaped into the air, boosting right towards the Ghost Kong's head. Sasami was quick to follow suit, both teenagers causing some serious damage.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but the Ghost Kong is much stronger than my older creations!!" Majotourbillon proclaimed. "You won't be able to defeat it so easily!!"

"Oh, yeah?" Nick taunted. "We'll just see about that."

Deciding at that moment what he was going to do, Nick charged forward once again.

"Is Nick-kun even sure what he's doing?" Moriko wondered. "He just keeps charging at her!!!"

"This is Nick-kun we're talking about," Akemi giggled. "We just have to trust him."

The instant Nick had gotten close enough, Majotourbillon tried to squash him with one of the Ghost Kong's bulky arms, but Nick dodged to the side and began circling the machine.

Pretty soon, Nick started boosting, only adding to his speed as he continued to run circles around the Ghost Kong.

After a while of this, Nick had run enough circles to make both Majotourbillon and the Ghost Kong dizzy.

"Go for it, Sasami-chan!!!" Nick exclaimed, to which the cute aqua-haired girl nodded.

Taking her chance, Sasami spun around before rushing towards the Ghost Kong, boosting into both of its hands and instantly shattering them.

"ARGH!!!! Wretched little brats!!!"

"Don't say that we don't know when to give up, because I've known that fact for pretty much my whole life," Nick shot back, leaping into the air with Sasami following.

Nick smiled at Sasami, quickly moving to join hands with her.

At this motion, the two began spinning around quite rapidly, their boost aura surrounding them. The two gyrating teenagers crashed into the chest of the Ghost Kong, damaging several vital circuits and causing small explosions to rock the machine.

At this, the grip on Tsubaki loosened enough for Yuki to rush over and ferry her to safety.

"What say we finish this, Sasami-chan?" Nick asked once he and Sasami had landed on the ground. She just nodded, joining hands with Nick again.

"_From a sparkle in the sky..."_ Sasami chanted.

"_To a ripple in the river..."_ Nick continued.

"_As the world shines, let us bring hope to the people we wish to protect!!!"_

Majotourbillon tried to gain control of her exploding machine back, but no such luck.

"ARGH!!! Damn this shoddy machinery!!!"

"_Double Ojamajo Purifying Sparkle!!!"_

At this, Nick and Sasami thrust their hands forward, unleashing a cluster of insanely bright sparkles that struck the damaged Ghost Kong and exploded into a massive eruption of light energy that tore the Ghost Kong to shreds. Majotourbillon had just barely escaped in time.

"You brats haven't seen the last of me!!!" Majotourbillon screamed as her voice faded with distance.

"What_ever_," Moriko groaned.

By this point, Yuki had already set Tsubaki down, and Nick had rushed up to check on her.

"You okay, Tsubaki-chan?"

Just then, in a completely unexpected move, Tsubaki threw her arms around Nick, pretty easily surprising everyone.

"Thank you... for coming to rescue me..."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Nick blinked before he just returned the embrace, smiling.

"It's nothing Tsubaki-chan... Really..."

Tsubaki sniffled, and suddenly her eyes jolted wide.

"Hey, Tsubaki-chan..." Yuki started, walking up to pat her long, light blue hair. "You can let go of Nick-kun now."

Tsubaki quickly snapped away, her face a bright shade of pink.

"Ah... Um... I-I'm sorry about that... I was just caught up in the moment..."

_I always dreamed..._

Her blush deepened as she gulped.

_Ever since I was a child..._

"I... I'm really sorry..."

_I dreamed of being saved by a prince..._

Yuki just smiled.

"No, no, it's okay..."

Tsubaki nervously laughed, her hand reaching up to caress the flower she wore in her hair.

_But..._

"Yeah..."

_But Nick is taken... Isn't he?_

The black witch grinned, and patted her shoulder.

"I'm glad you're okay though, Tsubaki-chan."

"Yay!!" Sasami exclaimed, rushing up to take the island girl's hand. "I'm so, so, so happy you're alright, too!!"

Tsubaki just nodded, back to being blank and expressionless.

"Yes..."

Moriko and Akemi just smiled, and the jade witch walked up, shaking Tsubaki's hand.

"By the way, Tsubaki-chan, my name's Takahashi Moriko! It's a pleasure to meet you!!"

Akemi nodded, walking up with a gentle smile.

"My name is Suzuki Akemi... Thank you for helping us out like this, Tsubaki-chan."

Tsubaki just nodded, slight interest clouding her stoic expression.

"I see... Moriko-chan... And Akemi-chan..."

The crystal witch nodded again, and Moriko grinned.

"You have just the cutest name, you know that? I guess that's why you wear that camellia in your hair like that..."

Tsubaki quickly slapped her hand away when she reached to touch the delicate flower.

"Do not touch it."

Moriko held her struck hand, looking a bit insulted, but just sighed.

_She said that with a straight face..._

"Whatever, Tsubaki-chan."

_What a weird girl..._

Tsubaki blinked, and turned back to Yuki.

"...Yuki-chan?"

Yuki perked up.

_Huh?_

"Hm? What is it, Tsubaki-chan?"

Tsubaki lightly blushed, but maintained her stoic expression.

_I need to know..._

"Can I... Can I speak to you?"

_I need to know what it's like..._

Kurumi raised an eyebrow while Yuki just smiled.

_Oh..._

"Okay!! Alone?"

The ever indifferent island girl just nodded.

"Yes..."

Sasami blinked.

_Eh?_

"Huh?"

_What could Tsubaki-chan want with Yuki-chan~?_

"Nick-kun, we'll be right back~" Yuki sang, taking Tsubaki's hand and rushing off with her. "SEE YA IN A MINUTE!!"

Nick just sighed.

_This girl..._

"That Yuki-chan..."

_She never changes..._

Kurumi just shivered, her fists shaking.

_For some reason... I feel envious._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Okay~ We seem to be alone, Tsubaki-chan~!"

"I see..."

Yuki grinned as she spun around, her expression bright and bubbly.

_He he~_

"So-so! What did you want, Tsubaki-chan?"

Tsubaki suddenly blushed, going a deep shade of cherry red.

"Um... Um..."

"Spit it out, Tsubaki-chan," Yuki chimed, poking her cheek.

"H-Have you..."

She took a deep breath, back to her usual poker face.

"Have you met your Prince Charming already?"

"Huh?"

Yuki's eyes popped open wide, and her words unconsciously slammed an image of Saiki into the black witch's mind as her voice got below a whisper.

"W-Was it that obvious?"

Tsubaki's eyes widened and she continued in an uneasy voice.

"So... You have met him..."

The black witch blushed.

"W-Well... Yes... It's funny, too..."

_Because MY Saiki-kun actually IS a prince!!_

"W-Wow..."

Yuki nodded, now going on into full-lovestruck mode.

"He's kind, wonderful, super, amazing, perfect, admirable, trustworthy, friendly, protective, brave, careful, pure, charismatic, dreamy, caring, sweet, heartthrobbing, breathtaking, handsome, noble, shy, and CUTE~!"

Wow... And she said that all in one breath.

"I-I see... You two are really close, right?"

Now a smile was tugging at Tsubaki's lips as Yuki eagerly nodded, going heart-eyed.

"Yes... He and I will be together forever and ever~ And we'll get married... We're in pure, perfect, and untainted love~!!"

Tsubaki weakly giggled.

"He's really in love with you..."

Yuki nodded again, more hearts floating around.

"Yes... He's wonderful..."

_My Saiki-kun..._

"I guess it makes sense," Tsubaki murmured quietly, folding her arms. "You and Nick go so well together..."

"Yes, it's true... Wait, _Nick_?" Yuki stared at her, shocked. "Um... What makes you think it's Nick?"

Now she was confused.

"It isn't?"

"Of course not!!" the black witch snapped, flailing her arms about. "There's only ONE guy I'm in love with, and that's my Saiki-kun!! Nick-kun and I are just friends from a long time ago!!"

Tsubaki blinked.

"You mentioned a Saiki guy earlier... But I just thought he was your brother or something..."

"Saiki-kun and I belong together..." Yuki sniffed, sighing. "But Nick-kun's my best friend. Nothing more. Nothing less."

"So... You two AREN'T going out?"

"OF COURSE NOT!!" she exclaimed. "Like I would ever go out with Nick-kun, anyway!! I mean, SERIOUSLY!! He's impatient, loud, brash, and always rushing off without thinking about it!! Frankly, he's such a PAIN compared to my Saiki-kun!!"

"Y-Yuki-chan?"

"H-Huh?"

Yuki and Tsubaki quickly spun around, and sure enough, there was Nick himself standing here, having decided to check on the two girls.

"N-Nick-kun..." Yuki gasped, her heart racing. "H-How long have you been there?"

Nick just stared at her, the last sentence she said about him resounding in his head.

"_Frankly, he's such a pain compared to my Saiki-kun!!"_

"_He's such a pain compared to Saiki-kun!!"_

"_HE'S SUCH A PAIN!!"_

He frowned.

_Is that... What she really thinks about me?_

"N-Nick-kun..." Yuki wondered again, now concerned. "What did you hear?"

"I-It's nothing," he quickly snapped, turning away to stomp off. "I'm sorry to have bothered you two..."

"Wait, Nick-kun..." the black witch pleaded quietly before Tsubaki tugged on her sleeve. "Tsubaki-chan?"

"This Saiki guy..." she asked one last time. "If you had to chose between him and Nick..."

"You really expect me to hesitate after that, Tsubaki-chan?" Yuki asked, sighing. "I'm sorry, but I'd chose Saiki-kun... But... Nick-kun's still my friend... Understand that."

Tsubaki nodded, and frowned.

"Did you really mean all that?"

Yuki frowned herself, turning to where Nick was, her eyes glittering.

_Nick-kun... I... I didn't mean for him to hear that... But..._

"I just don't know anymore..."

_But I did mean most of it... Didn't I?_

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"Oh, Nick-kun..."

"Are you feeling okay, Yuki-chan?"

Yuki looked over towards where Nick had just been. "I... I really don't know anymore, Tsubaki-chan..."

Tsubaki looked over at the black witch. "Though you're in love with this Saiki guy... you still like Nick, right?"

"He's still my best friend... he was one of the few people who truly believed in me during my tougher years... I didn't mean to actually say that in front of him... and I would probably never admit this to ANYONE... but the fact that he's impatient, brash, and all that... I actually kinda like that about him..."

"Because it's what makes him unique?" Tsubaki asked.

"Exactly..." Yuki answered. "I don't want to hurt his feelings..."

"Then go find him and apologize..." Tsubaki offered.

"But... what if he doesn't want to see me after that?"

Tsubaki actually smiled as she let her hands rest on Yuki's shoulder.

"If you want to make amends, go find him and apologize, okay?"

Yuki stared at Tsubaki for a few seconds before a smile broke out on her own face.

"Thanks, Tsubaki-chan. Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta go find Nick-kun," Yuki stated before dashing off.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_So that's all I really am to her, huh?_ Nick thought as he continued to travel through the plains. _And here I really thought we could be great friends... maybe I was just fooling myself... I should have guessed her heart only belongs to Saiki-kun..._

Nick took a look at the perpetual clouds that seemed to fill the sky of the entire island.

_She told me that I was her best friend, despite the fact that her heart belonged to Saiki-kun... were those all lies?_

Nick shook his head. He didn't want to keep hearing what Yuki had just said, yet it kept running through his head like a jammed record player.

"_He's SUCH A PAIN!!!!"_

Nick actually felt a few tears forming. _I really do like Yuki-chan... though her heart belongs to Saiki-kun, she told me when we were only five that we'd still be best friends... Was that just a lie, Yuki-chan?!_

Nick sighed in defeat. _I guess that's it, then. I thought she still wanted to be my friend, but I guess she wants nothing to do with me anymore... and... that's actually kinda depressing..._

Before Nick's tears could fall, he was easily knocked to the ground by a massive ball of dark energy.

Once Nick had recovered his balance, he noticed Majotourbillon piloting what appeared to a massive robot designed in the image of a spider.

"Okay, how do you keep building these things so fast?!" Nick exclaimed.

"I keep a few machines on standby in case I need them," Majotourbillon responded.

"Look, you little freak, you'd best just leave me the hell alone," Nick growled. "I am REALLY not in the mood right now."

"Aw, did your little friend abandon you?" Majotourbillon taunted.

"I SAID SHUT UP!!!!" Nick screamed, boosting straight into the spider machine and knocking it off of its balance.

"Futile, my young friend," Majotourbillon stated. "I've been studying our past encounters, and I've been able to create a super-sturdy armor for my machines. You will not be able to take down the Ghost Arachnia so easily!!"

With that, the Ghost Arachnia began circling Nick...

"_The waves of my own feelings, take this!! Ojamajo Twilight Rain!!"_

Out of nowhere, a flurry of twilight energy bursts hammered at the Ghost Arachnia.

Nick spun around. There was only one person he knew that had an attack like that, but he was so sure she didn't want anything to do with him anymore...

"Yuki-chan?"

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

_No... way..._

Nick could only stare at Yuki standing there, her arms folded.

_**Ta-thump.**_

_Yuki-chan..._

_**Ta-thump!!**_

Yuki growled, taking a cautious stance.

_Of all the times!!_

"You really have some nerve, Majotourbillon!! Attacking Nick-kun like that is unforgivable!!"

She threw her hand out, which began glowing a dark purple, and charged.

"_Shadow Claw!!"_

Her Shadow Claw struck through one of the legs, making Majotourbillon cry out.

"You little BRAT!!"

Dodging an advance by one of the other remaining legs, Yuki hopped back, and grabbed Nick's arm, surprising him.

_Even if he's still mad..._

"Y-Yuki-chan...?"

_What is she...?_

"Stop standing there like an idiot!!" she snapped, tightening her firm grip on his arm. "_Help _me, Nick-kun!!"

_I can't do this without him!!_

Nick's eyes slowly widened.

_Yuki-chan..._

He stared into Yuki's wide and expectant gaze, her chocolate brown eyes glittered.

_Even though her heart belongs to Saiki-kun..._

Her words still resounded in his ears.

"_**HE'S SUCH A PAIN!!!"**_

_Even after she said that..._

"Help... me..." she repeated, her voice pleading. "Please help me, Nick-kun..."

_Please... Nick-kun..._

Nick just stared, a blush beginning to bloom on his cheeks.

_She still wants me to help her..._

He just smirked.

_Well... If there's one more thing I can finally do for her..._

"Of course, Yuki-chan."

_Before we stop talking forever... Before she stops being my friend..._

Yuki smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling.

_Nick-kun!!_

"Thank you, Nick-kun!!"

Nick's smile widened, and he took her hand, gently squeezing it.

_I'll do it... Because she'll always be someone precious to me... Even if her heart only belongs to Saiki-kun._

"No problem."

_I really envy him._

"Okay!!" she exclaimed, turning to Majotourbillon, grinning widely.

"Prepare yourself, Majotourbillon!!"

The former queen took caution, growling.

"Worthless brats..."

"You'll eat those words," Nick noted with a smirk as he took Yuki's other hand, and they began concentrating.

"_To the beings of hope..."_ Yuki chanted.

"_To the beings of spirit..."_ Nick continued.

"_Together with the ones that reside between light and dark, gather into our own hands and dispel the evil with our purity!!"_ both Nick and Yuki chanted, letting their arms rest around each other while drawing their free hands back.

"_Double Ojamajo Twilight Whirlwind!!"_

The massive whirlwind swept the Ghost Arachnia off its feet, crushing three of the remaining seven legs when it crashed to the ground.

Nick and Yuki nodded at each other and spread out, rushing to the remaining four legs, preparing their attacks.

"_The bow and string of a determined boy, take this!! Ojamajo Arrow of Light!!"_

"_The waves of my own feelings, take this!! Ojamajo Twilight Rain!!"_

Striking at the same time, the two attacks both took out two legs each, leaving the Ghost Arachnia motionless.

"NO!!" Majotourbillon cried, shocked at what just happened. "How could this be?! You two brats..."

"Give it a rest," Nick shot back, preparing for the final attack.

The former witch paused at that.

"...I see. I have underestimated you two for the last time..."

The green witch raised his eyebrows in confusion. Yuki just blinked.

_What's she planning...?_

Majotourbillon suddenly smirked.

"Until then, though... I will get much more powerful."

And just like that, she vanished.

Nick growled.

_Majotourbillon..._

"AGAIN, you little coward?!"

_DANG IT!!_

"Okay... Just calm down, Nick-kun," Yuki stated, walking over to place her hand on his shoulder as she sighed. "At least we won."

Nick had to smile at Yuki before he suddenly flinched.

"_HE'S SUCH A PAIN!!"_

_Yuki-chan..._

Yuki smiled back, a little confused.

"Is something wrong, Nick-kun?"

"Why..."

He swallowed, gently removing as he backed away, his eyes now fearful, something that shocked the black witch.

_Why does he look so afraid... of me?_

"Why..." Nick started again, his voice shaking. "Why are you still like that, Yuki-chan?"

_If she thinks that... If she thinks that I'm just a pain..._

Yuki blinked, and turned surprised.

"Oh... What I said earlier, right? Um..."

She blushed, sighing.

"It was all true, Nick-kun. So I can't apologize."

Nick's eyes widened and he just fought off tears, quickly spinning around so she wouldn't see him struggling.

"R-Right... I forgot... It's just... We've been friends for so long... And I truly thought that would be forever... Even when you met Saiki-kun... I thought that things would never change, so I was taking your friendship for granted... I'm sorry, Yuki-chan. I never meant to do that."

Yuki's own eyes went wide.

"Nick-kun..."

"I-I know I don't mean anything to you..." he rambled on, his voice shaking. "But I just want you to know... That I still... I still consider you my friend, Yuki-chan... I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you..."

The black witch bit her lip, and touched his shoulder.

"Nick-kun... Look at me."

He turned hesitantly over his shoulder, and faced her.

"Yuki-chan...?"

To his surprise, she slapped him across the face. He held his swollen cheek, staring at her in confusion.

"I-I'm sorry..." he muttered, sighing. "I shouldn't have said all that... I probably am just troubling you again, Yuki-chan..."

"Shut up."

"Yuki—"

"SHUT UP."

Nick's eyes widened when she looked up, her brown eyes filled with tears.

_Why is she crying?_

"Yuki-chan...?"

"You're a pain," she sighed, tears trickling down her cheeks. "It's true... You've always been impatient... Bold... And you always act before thinking... But..."

Yuki clenched her fists, shutting her eyes tightly.

"But HOW, I must question, how can you be so STUPID to actually think that I want nothing to do with you?! Friends forever, I said!! Friends forever, you _promised_! You _never_ break your promises, so why now you idiot?!"

He just parted his lips, shocked.

"Y-Yuki-chan..."

"You really are an idiot..." she confirmed with another sigh, shaking her head. "But that doesn't change anything... I still like you. You've been the same since we met, Nick-kun... And nothing's changed... Nothing ever will change."

She looked at him and caressed his cheek, the same one she slapped just moments earlier.

"I love you as a friend, Nick-kun. Yes, I love Saiki-kun with all my heart, and sure, he's the only one allowed to have it... But you're still my friend... Even when Saiki-kun and I get married, you'll be my friend... You always will be."

Nick's eyes glittered, and he felt like crying himself.

"Nick-kun..."

Yuki's smile widened, and her eyes glimmered.

"Will you stay by my side? As my friend?"

He finally smiled back.

"That's a promise, Yuki-chan. I do love you... As a friend, of course."

The black witch grinned and had to embrace him tightly.

"Oh, Nick-kun!! You impatient and lovable idiot!! Friends forever, right?"

Nick fought back a laugh, returning the hug.

"Friends forever, Yuki-chan."

Yuki weakly giggled, tightening her arms around him.

"I'm glad..."

"Yuki-chan!! Nick!! Did you two make up, yet?"

The two quickly separated, and there was Tsubaki, waving in the distance.

"Tsubaki-chan!!"

Yuki grinned, and put her hands to the side of her face.

"Yes!! We have made up!!"

Tsubaki nodded, and smiled a bit.

"I'm glad..."

"Come on, Nick-kun," Yuki stated, slipping her hand into his. "Let's get going."

Nick could only nod as his hand tightened around hers.

"I couldn't agree more, Yuki-chan."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"Interesting," the Frightress stated, having viewed the situation from her crystal ball. "Those two possess a very unique power. I will have to keep a closer eye on those two."

The Frightress laughed evilly. "It seems they will be useful to my plans after all."

"AH-HA!!! I FOUND YOU!!!"

The Frightress calmly turned around to spot Majotourbillon piloting the Ghost Devil Ray.

The Frightress just smiled. "Welcome to my humble lair, Majotourbillon. What brings you here?"

"I've been watching you, little missy," Majotourbillon growled. "How DARE you muscle in on my territory?!"

The Frightress just flipped back a lock of her violet hair. "I was on this island first. Therefore, the girl and her powers are mine and mine alone. Finders keepers, young witch."

This apparently seemed to make Majotourbillon really angry. "Don't you DARE condescend to me, you little bitch!!!"

The Frightress didn't seem at all fazed by this. "Very well, then. I shall leave you with a small... reminder... of why you should forget about this island and just leave in peace."

With that, the Frightress raised her hand, and all of a sudden, a massive explosion tore the Ghost Devil Ray to shreds. Majotourbillon was just barely able to get away in time.

"Another of your worthless creations has been destroyed," the Frightress proclaimed. "What shall you do?"

"It's been a while since I relied on my natural abilities," Majotourbillon proclaimed. "But it'll be so worth it to take you down."

"Do not bet on it," the Frightress responded, steadying herself.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Nick-kun, there's kinda something I wanted to ask you."

"What's up, Yuki-chan?"

"I was wondering why you thought I didn't want anything to do with you after that incident..."

Nick thought for a couple seconds, trying to find the right words to explain it. "Yuki-chan, you know I really treasure all the friendships I've been able to make... When I heard what you'd said, it really hurt me... you've been my best friend for as long as I can remember... and I guess you could say I got a little scared of what was going to happen..."

Yuki just smiled, leaning forward and pecking Nick on the cheek.

"Nick-kun, just remember this... Even though Saiki-kun's got my heart... there'll always be a place in it for you, okay?"

Nick just nodded, reaching out to hug Yuki, who gladly returned it.

"Friends forever, right, Yuki-chan?"

"You got it."

"HEY, YOU GUYS!!!!" Moriko's voice resounded. Nick and Yuki turned around and noticed that Akemi, Moriko, Kurumi, and Sasami had just rushed up.

"What just happened, you two?!" Moriko exclaimed.

"Calm down, okay, Moriko-chan?" Nick responded.

"You two didn't get into a fight, did you?" Kurumi asked, noticing Nick and Yuki's posture.

"Sort of," Yuki stated. "But we fixed the problem, so there's nothing to worry about."

"That's good," Sasami noted, breathing a sigh of relief.

"It kind of looks like there was a struggle here," Akemi stated, noticing the signs of a battle that were left on the ground.

"We just had a bit of a run-in with Majotourbillon, but we took care of her pretty easily," Yuki giggled.

"She just doesn't know when to give up, does she?" Kurumi wondered.

"She's the one who shattered the world," Nick stated. "She took Momoko somewhere, so I went to confront her, and she did something to the Majokai Crystals that drained their power and caused the world to break apart..."

"_Now I'm only going to ask you this once. WHERE IS MOMOKO?!"_

_Majotourbillon doesn't respond to this, gripped by fear. She knows that Nick has gotten much stronger since the last time they met._

"_I won't tell you," Majotourbillon responds. "You'll have to go find her yourself back on that jigsaw puzzle you call a planet."_

_This only confuses Nick._

_Without warning, Majotourbillon hits a button that opens a hole in the floor towards Earth, then shoots a powerful beam of dark energy at Nick that drains the energy of the Majokai Crystals, forcing him back into his normal self._

_Majotourbillon then uses this energy and fires it down the hole towards Earth, plunging deep into the crust._

_With a massive roar, the planet splits into seven continents, all floating away from the world's core._

_Nick can only stare on in horror at what Majotourbillon has done._

_Before Nick can ask Majotourbillon what she's done, the dark witch disappears._

_Just then, Nick hears a beeping sound and his heart nearly stops as he realizes what is about to happen. Nick quickly gathers the drained Majokai Crystals, pockets them, and uses his magical powers to surround himself with a shield as the flagship is ripped to pieces in an almighty explosion._

_As the shockwave from the flagship's destruction dissipates, we can see Nick falling down to the broken Earth, not hurt thanks to his shield, but completely unconscious._

"Say, Tsubaki-chan?" Yuki asked. "Where'd you get that flower in your hair? It's really pretty..."

Tsubaki couldn't help but blush at that. "T-thank you..."

"What's so important about this flower anyway?" Moriko asked, snatching the flower out of Tsubaki's hair and observing it.

Nick was the first to catch that Tsubaki's eyes suddenly started tearing up at this.

"Um... Mori-chan, I don't think you should have done that," Nick stated, bracing himself for what might happen.

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Tsubaki-chan!!" Sasami exclaimed, rushing over to hold her hand. "Is something wrong?!"

Tsubaki's amethyst eyes just filled with tears and she shut them tightly, snatching her hand back to cover her face as she sobbed.

"TSUBAKI-CHAN?!"

Yuki rushed over as well, trying to calm the island girl down.

"Tsubaki-chan... Shhhh..." she murmured, rubbing her shoulders in comfort the same way she remembered Saiki did to her whenever she was upset. "It's alright, it's alright... Please don't cry..."

Tsubaki just continued weeping.

"Nnn... Nooo..."

"Moriko-chan, you shouldn't have messed with her!!" Akemi exclaimed, blushing quite darkly.

"I didn't think she'd actually start CRYING in front of me, Akemi-chan!!" Moriko shot back before groaning. "But... But, aw geez!! I'll give you the flower back, Tsubaki-chan!! Here!! You can have it!! I won't mess with it ever again, okay?!"

_I don't want anyone crying!!_

Tsubaki whimpered, and Yuki pulled her close, tucking her head under her chin.

"Tsubaki-chan..."

_Come on... She's so sad... Tsubaki-chan..._

Moriko frowned, and blushed herself.

_This girl..._

"L-Look Tsubaki-chan... I'm sorry for upsetting you... Take the flower, please... Stop crying already..."

_She won't stop..._

Nick frowned himself as he watched her cry, the black witch and Sasami trying desperately to calm her down.

_Tsubaki-chan..._

"Tsubaki-chan..." the jade witch insisted, shoving the flower forward. "STOP crying!! You can have it back so JUST TAKE IT!!"

_Watching her cry like this... It bothers me so much!!_

Yuki snatched the flower away, and snapped it into Tsubaki's hair, running her fingers through the long, light blue locks.

"There... See? It's in your hair again, Tsubaki-chan..."

At this, Tsubaki uncovered her face, reaching up to stroke the flower, and sighed with relief.

"Thank goodness... My treasure..."

_Yes..._

She then blushed as Yuki separated from her, smiling.

_She's so cute..._

"Thank goodness... You're smiling again, Tsubaki-chan..."

_So that was a real waste..._

Tsubaki's blush deepened and Sasami began shaking her hands, though the island girl didn't appear to notice.

"I'm so, so, SO happy you're alright, Tsubaki-chan!!" Sasami exclaimed, giddily.

_Thank goodness, indeed!!_

Tsubaki just sighed, taking her hands back to bow towards Moriko.

_Oh, dear..._

"Sorry I acted like that... But you took my most precious treasure... So..."

_How embarrassing... But still..._

"I-It's alright..." Moriko responded, quickly shaking her hands. "I shouldn't have taken it without asking!!"

_Oh, boy..._

Tsubaki fiddled with her hair, grumbling.

"B-But... It's very special to me... So..."

"Why?" Kurumi asked, eyes wide. "Why is it so important, Tsubaki-chan?"

_I'm just so confused..._

She froze, and her hand reached for her camellia, lightly grasping it.

_I..._

"T-That would be..."

_I can't tell them... Not now..._

She shut her eyes tightly, shivering.

_Not..._

"I'm not telling... It's my secret... Mine..."

_Not like this!! No..._

"O-Okay..." Kurumi just muttered, backing off in surprise. "If it's a painful memory, I understand... Sorry..."

Tsubaki looked up, eyes glittering.

"Kurumi...chan..."

Sasami's own eyes glittered as she tried to take Tsubaki's hand again.

_She..._

"It's okay, Tsubaki-chan... We promise we won't laugh or anything..."

_She just looks so sad..._

"That's... That's not my problem," Tsubaki responded without facing her, bowing her head.

_No..._

"I... I'm sorry..."

_I can't... But..._

She glanced towards Yuki, who just comfortingly smiled as she nodded.

_Do what you want, Tsubaki-chan..._

Tsubaki's eyes began tearing up again.

_She..._

"Yu...Yuki-chan..."

_She really...!!_

"It's alright if you don't want to talk," Moriko stated walking forward with her hands on her hips, smiling brightly.

_Ha..._

"We all have our bad memories, Tsubaki-chan... So we won't hold it against you."

_I'd know that better than anyone._

Tsubaki's eyes slowly widened.

"Moriko...chan..."

"It's alright..." Akemi echoed, weakly giggling. "Sometimes it's good to keep secrets, ya know?"

_So it's okay..._

Tsubaki said nothing at that.

_Good to keep secrets... Really?_

She looked at Nick.

"What about you...?"

Nick just smiled.

"Whatever floats your boat... Tsubaki-chan."

Tsubaki's eyes glimmered and she looked at Sasami, who just grinned.

"Whenever you're ready!! Or never, that's fine too!!"

Tsubaki bit her lip.

"Thanks... All of you... But... I need to get this off my chest..."

All stared at her, patient.

"I... I don't really know myself about my treasure... It's something I've had since forever..." she rambled on, blushing a bit. "But it's always been there... And I love my treasure... It's just so precious to me..."

Yuki nodded.

"I see... So were you born here, Tsubaki-chan?"

Tsubaki pointed to the sky.

"I came from there... I have no family other than my treasure."

"You fell from the sky?!" Sasami exclaimed before turning confused. "Where does that sound familiar?"

Nick let out a nervous laugh.

_In a sense... I fell out of the sky before meeting Sasami-chan... Didn't I?_

Tsubaki, however, just sighed.

"The stars... They're my family, too... This island is my home, yes... But... I've always wanted..."

Her voice got below a whisper.

"I've always wanted to explore the world... To live somewhere more luxurious... It's always been a personal dream of mine..."

They just stared in surprise.

"Tsubaki-chan..."

"But..." Tsubaki looked up, weakly smiled. "Alas, some things just aren't meant to be."

"That's not true, Tsubaki-chan!!" Sasami exclaimed, taking her hands. "We can help you!! We'll rebuild our ship and take you with us... There are so many places, you'll love it!! This world..."

She smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling.

"This world is just so _amazing_!!"

Yuki nodded.

"And she can meet Saiki-kun and see firsthand how perfect he is!!"

Nick had to laugh and extended a hand.

"So... Will you join us, Tsubaki-chan?"

Tsubaki's eyes widened.

"You... You'll really do all that for me?"

They all nodded.

She smiled, taking Nick's hand.

"Thank you!!"

_It's a nice thought... But..._

She smiled brightly.

_But still..._

"Thanks a whole bunch!! Really!!

_But it'll never happen... Not while they still don't know the truth..._

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"Okay... now that THAT issue's settled... what do we do next?" Moriko wondered.

"Good question..." Sasami responded. "We do still have to fix our ship so we can get out of here..."

"And we also have two psychotic villains to stop," Nick noted. "Both Majotourbillon and the Frightress."

"Did someone call me?"

Everyone spun around at this. There, floating in the air above the party, was the Frightress.

"Wait. Something's different," Nick noticed, taking note of the mysterious new aura surrounding the Frightress. "Why is Majotourbillon's aura mixing with yours?"

The Frightress just smirked. "You could say Majotourbillon got into an altercation with me. A mistake she will not dare to repeat."

"Enough chit-chat!!!" Moriko exclaimed. "Just why the hell do you keep messing with us, you crazy evil witch?!"

"Simple. I come for power," the Frightress responded. "And someone on this island has the power I seek."

While she said this, the Frightress set her gaze on Tsubaki, which Sasami took notice of, pulling Tsubaki towards her.

"FORGET IT, crazy lady!!! You're not taking Tsubaki-chan!!!" Sasami screamed, the close contact causing Tsubaki to blush a bit.

"Hmm. So you shall not be persuaded. Very well. I shall take my leave, but I must also punish you all for standing in my way."

The Frightress aimed her hand towards the ground. All of a sudden, a massive tremor knocked everyone to their knees just as the ground all around them uprooted itself from the island, rapidly ascending into the sky.

"THIS is why I don't like elevators!!!" Yuki exclaimed, feeling a bit queasy.

Just then, as if to add to the problem, waterfalls sprung up all around the rising crust, cutting off any possible escape routes.

And, of course, to make things worse, a powerful-looking creature appeared from the dark floor.

It was a massive, blue-and-purple creature that wielded two VERY long and VERY sharp swords.

"GREAT!!! As if this day couldn't get any worse!!!" Kurumi exclaimed.

"_Let the demon's luster shine brightly!! Hanyou Hikari, shine down!!"_

Once Nick had summoned his weapon, he immediately charged forward.

"Damn it, Nick-kun, do you ALWAYS have to take the spotlight?!" Moriko exclaimed.

"Someone's gotta stop this thing, and since I've got the most experience in dealing with these Dark Gaia creepoids, looks like it's gonna have to be me!!" Nick responded, stopping just short of the Dark Solider and bringing Hanyou Hikari into a fighting stance.

"Let's dance."

However, before Nick could rush in and attack, he felt a soft hand encase his free hand. He looked back and noticed Tsubaki clutching on to his hand.

"May I help you out, Nick?" Tsubaki asked. "Please?"

She was giving that cute look that any man would have to be a fool to resist.

"Aw, how can I say no to a face like that?" Nick responded. "But are you sure you can handle this thing?"

Tsubaki just giggled, drawing a bow. "I'm more powerful than I look."

"As you wish," Nick responded, letting out a roar and charging straight for the Dark Soldier.

The Dark Soldier responded to this by slashing its left sword in a broad sweeping attack, but Nick was able to parry and strike back with a vicious upward attack, causing a nice bit of damage.

Nick skidded to a stop, trying to keep his traction in the puddles of water that were slowly filling the floor of the arena.

"Damn," Nick cursed. "If all that water means what I think it means, I'd better hurry this up..."

Focusing on the Dark Soldier, Nick charged forward again, sidestepping a vertical slash and leaping towards the creature, going into a spin attack as he neared the Dark Soldier.

To Nick's surprise, this attack was easily countered, tossing him back quite a ways.

"Okay, that didn't work," Nick noted.

Rolling over to Nick's side, Tsubaki fitted an arrow into her bow and fired it straight at the Dark Soldier. The arrow seemed to shine with a holy light as it struck the Dark Soldier, momentarily paralyzing it.

"All right, let's try this again," Nick proclaimed, rushing forward and going into the spin attack he'd tried before. This time, due to the Dark Soldier's paralyzed state, his attack was able to connect, slashing through sensitive flesh multiple times.

"Take THAT!!!" Nick exclaimed, to which Tsubaki giggled.

The Dark Soldier quickly recovered and leapt over to Tsubaki, ready to slice her into ribbons. Nick was over there in a flash, blocking the strike and vaulting himself upwards to slash at the Dark Soldier's head, causing quite a toll of damage.

Nick took this opportunity to land a few slashes across the Dark Soldier's unprotected back before it hopped away.

"Come here, Tsubaki-chan," Nick signaled.

"What is it, Nick?" Tsubaki wondered.

"I think it's time we kick this fight into overdrive," Nick proclaimed. Tsubaki smiled, understanding what Nick wanted to do.

Readying one of her special arrows, Tsubaki fitted it into the bowstring and drew it back, waiting for Nick's signal.

As she did this, Nick rushed forward, parrying a lateral strike from the Dark Soldier and retaliating with a thrust that knocked it back a couple feet.

Nick backflipped a couple times, flashing a bit of a peace sign.

Tsubaki, recognizing Nick's signal, aimed straight for the Dark Soldier's heart area and let her arrow fly. A massive blue aura surrounded the arrow's tip as it thundered forward, striking the Dark Soldier's heart area and causing it to stumble.

Seeing his chance, Nick charged one last time.

Just then, the Dark Soldier swung both of its swords, but Nick easily parried the strike, leaping high into the air.

In a move that completely shocked the others, Nick came down from his leap and drove the blade of Hanyou Hikari straight into the Dark Soldier's head.

"Did he just do what I think he did?" Poppu wondered.

"THAT'S certainly a way to finish that thing off," Kurumi noted.

Nick quickly retracted his blade and hopped back as the Dark Soldier evaporated into nothingness.

"Score another one for the good guys," Nick proclaimed, holding Hanyou Hikari in a victory pose.

Just then, the waterfalls around the arena disappeared, and the platform stopped ascending.

"Oh, crap..."

The platform they were standing on suddenly crumbled into nothingness, leaving the party to fall back down to the island.

"What the hell are we going to do?!! I'm flat enough as it is!!!" Yuki exclaimed.

"This ISN'T the time to be worrying about your body, Yuki-chan!!!" Moriko shot back.

"Try aiming for the lake!! That's our only chance!!!" Nick exclaimed.

Deciding to take Nick's advice, everyone began aiming for the lake outside of the island.

The instant Nick felt the water hit his body, he blacked out.

(Eyecatch: Tsubaki peeks out from behind a rock, ducking to avoid someone speeding by. Tsubaki then steps out, only to be glomped by Sasami. The two fall to the ground and start laughing.)


	2. Act 2: I Shot an Arrow Into the Air

Act 2: I Shot an Arrow Into the Air

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Nick? Nick? Wake up..."

Nick winced, shaking a bit.

_That voice..._

"Nick... Please wake up..."

_Mo..._

"...Nick?"

_Momoko?_

"Uh..."

His eyes opened slowly, his vision blurred enough to see the figure of a girl.

"N-Nick!!"

"Momoko?" he wondered again, his vision focusing.

His eyes soon widened.

_No..._

"Sasami-chan..."

Sasami blinked, and smiled in relief.

"Thank goodness you're alright, Nick!!"

Nick got up, rubbing his head.

"Ow... Where are we, Sasami-chan?"

"Heck if I know!" the aqua-haired girl responded, looking about. "I just dragged you out of the river... So I guess we're downstream..."

"Downstream?" Nick looked about, his eyes wide.

"Where's the others?"

"We're the only ones here," Sasami sighed, her ruby red eyes sparkling. "I didn't see anyone anywhere... I'm already worried about Tsubaki-chan..."

"I'm worried about Yuki-chan..." Nick noted before sighing.

_Of course... Knowing Mori-chan... She'll FREAK if her and Akemi-chan are separated... But hopefully Kurumi-chan's okay..._

His eyelids lowered and he bit his lip.

_But... What about Yuki-chan and Tsubaki-chan?_

"Well..." Sasami stated, getting up to dust her dress as she turned to Nick.

_Of course..._

"Hey, Nick?"

Nick perked up.

_Huh?_

"Y-Yes, Sasami-chan?"

Sasami smiled, closing her eyes.

"Let's go find the others, okay?"

"O-Oh..."

Nick jumped up, and nodded.

_Of course..._

"Right!"

_After all... Who knows where they went?_

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Tsubaki wiped off her face as she stared at the rushing river beside her, sighing.

_Oh..._

"It's always so fast... It's a good thing I'm used to falling into it..."

_Then again..._

She looked down at her soaked dress, sighing.

_My dress... It's so wet..._

"And this was one of my favorites, too..."

_And now it's ruined._

Tsubaki shook her head and turned to an unconscious Yuki, her eyes glittering as she bent down to listen to the black witch's breathing.

"Good... Yuki-chan doesn't appear to be injured..."

_And she's still breathing. That's good, too._

"...ki...kun...."

"Huh?"

_Eh...?_

Tsubaki perked up, confused.

_Did Yuki-chan just say something?_

She looked down at Yuki, who was shivered, her eyes closed tightly in pain.

"Yu...Yuki-chan?"

"No..." she whispered quietly, her fists tightening up. "No... Don't..."

"Yuki-chan?" Tsubaki wondered as she placed her hand on the black witch's cheek.

_Ah..._

"Her skin feels so cold..."

"Saiki-kun..." Yuki gasped, gripping desperately onto the grass. "No... Don't go... Don't leave... Stay..."

Tsubaki's eyes slowly widened.

_She..._

"Yuki-chan?"

_She's dreaming about that Saiki guy?_

"Please stay..." the black witch sighed, tears budding in her eyes. "Please... Don't go... Stay... Stay with me..."

"Yuki-chan?" Tsubaki whispered uncertainly, stroking her cheek.

Yuki's eyes slowly opened, twitching a bit.

"Sai...ki...kun..._Oh_."

Yuki's brown eyes went wide.

"Tsubaki-chan..."

She quickly smiled, all tear-stains gone.

"Good morning!"

Tsubaki looked surprised as Yuki stood up, looking about.

"Where'd the river take us to, Tsubaki-chan? Are we lost?"

The island girl blinked in confusion.

_S-She was so sad earlier in her sleep... Rambling on about Saiki!!_

She paused, and bit her lip.

_Does that mean... She really does like him?_

"Tsubaki-chan?"

"H-Huh?"

Tsubaki gulped as Yuki turned to her, extending a hand.

"Come on, Tsubaki-chan. We need to find the others, right?"

Tsubaki blushed, taking Yuki's hand as she helped her up.

"...Thanks."

Yuki just nodded, grinning.

"Okay, let's go."

Tsubaki gulped.

_Why... Why is my heart racing like this?_

"...Okay, Yuki-chan."

_So strange..._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Moriko got up with a stretch, and Kurumi dried out her hair. Akemi just yawned.

"That was a wild ride..."

"Akemi-chan, are you hurt?" Moriko asked, immediately jumping over to stroke her friend's cheek.

The crystal witch just blushed.

"M-Moriko-chan... I'm fine... No harm done."

"Problem, you two," Kurumi stated as she stood up, looking about. "I think we're lost."

"We've been lost since we got here!!" Moriko snapped.

"Moriko-chan, cut that out!!"

"Sorry, Akemi-chan..."

"No, no..." Kurumi shook her finger, frowning.

"I can't see Nick-kun or the others anywhere."

The two girls were silent.

"Oh... Okay."

Kurumi raised an eyebrow.

"No worries?"

"Nick-kun's a strong guy," Moriko dismissed, waving her hand. "He should be fine. Sasami-chan and Yuki-chan are strong, too... And Tsubaki-chan's been living her whole life."

Akemi nodded, but blushed.

"Still... I hope they don't get attacked..."

Kurumi nodded as well.

"Un. Let's go searching."

"Okay!"

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"This is getting us nowhere, isn't it?" Nick asked after about an hour of searching.

"YUKI-CHAN!!!!" Sasami exclaimed. Nothing.

"I already tried that, Sasami-chan. Didn't work," Nick responded. "Where IS that girl?!"

"The last I saw her before we blacked out, she was with Tsubaki-chan. We find her, we'll find Yuki-chan."

"That won't be necessary," a soft voice answered. Nick and Sasami spun around at this, noticing Yuki and Tsubaki there.

"HEY, NICK-KUN!!!!" Yuki exclaimed, rushing up to hug her childhood friend.

"Glad to know you're all right, Yuki-chan," Nick stated while returning the hug. "Any sign of the others?"

"Nope," Yuki giggled. "But I'm glad I found you!!"

"Me, too, Yuki-chan. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you..."

Yuki couldn't help but blush. "Flatterer."

"I speak only the truth," Nick responded, imitating Saiki.

Yuki had to giggle at that. "Close, but not quite."

"Say, I was wondering something... how did you two meet, exactly?" Sasami wondered.

"Five years ago today, to be precise. Oh, that was a wonderful day, wasn't it, Nick-kun?" Yuki stated.

"Didn't start out so wonderful," Nick responded. "Those stupid bullies were harassing you again, remember?"

(flashback)

"_GET OFF OF ME, YOU STUPID BULLIES!!!" the then nine-year-old Yuki Shinoya exclaimed, trying in vain to shake off the bullies that were harassing her._

"_Not unless you hand over your lunch money, little brat," one of the bullies laughed._

_Just then, a new voice popped up._

"_You heard the girl. Let her go. NOW."_

_The three bullies spun around, and noticed ten-year-old Nick Kelly standing there, his fists in a fighting stance._

"_Oh, and what are you going to do if we don't?" the bully leader taunted._

"_I'm lucky we're not doing this on school grounds," Nick responded before charging forward and lashing out with a powerful spinning kick that knocked one of the bullies a couple feet back._

"_How can this stupid boy be so strong?" the bully who'd just been attacked wondered._

"_Martial arts classes does wonders for the body," Nick responded before lurching forward and lashing out with a thrust attack._

_This was easily enough to get the bullies to retreat._

"_I've REALLY gotta talk to Mr. Holland about Burt doing this stuff to people..." Nick groaned before Yuki rushed up and threw her arms around him._

"_Thank you so much!!!!" Yuki exclaimed. "Thanks for protecting me from those bullies!!!"_

"_Those three have been driving me crazy ever since I came to this school," Nick responded, "and I eventually got sick of it. I figure if no one's going to teach them a lesson, it may as well be up to me."_

_Nick looked down at the cute girl in front of him. "Say, would you like to be my friend, um... anou..."_

"_SURE!!!" Yuki giggled. "In case you want to know, my name's Shinoya Yuki!!"_

"_And they call me Nick Kelly," Nick responded._

"_All right, then, Nick-kun!!" Yuki stated. "Will you promise to protect me from those freaks?"_

"_You got it, Yuki-chan," Nick replied. "Friends forever, right?"_

_Yuki just nodded. "Actually, Nick-kun, I want you to have something..."_

_With that, Yuki reached into her pocket and pulled out a flower-shaped charm she'd recently made in art class. Not wasting a second, she handed the charm over to Nick._

"_This is very special to me, Nick-kun, so don't you dare lose it, okay?"_

"_No problem, Yuki-chan."_

(end flashback)

"Say, Nick-kun... do you still HAVE that lucky charm I gave you?" Yuki wondered.

Nick smiled, reaching into his pocket and pulling the charm out. "I still held onto it, even after we got separated last year. I held onto this so I would never forget you, Yuki-chan..."

Yuki actually felt like crying at that simple statement. "I'm so surprised, Nick-kun... you're not usually one for mushy stuff..."

"When it comes to my best friend, I have the right to say mushy things," Nick laughed.

Just then, Nick was knocked to the ground by something that was seemingly invisible.

"Nick-kun!!! Are you okay?!" Yuki exclaimed.

"I'm sensing some massive magical pressure... I'm guessing the Frightress is back..."

"Oh, how right you are, boy."

Nick spun around, quickly summoning Hanyou Hikari and facing the Frightress. Only thing is, she looked different this time.

She had apparently shed her witch coat, so Nick was finally able to size up his opponent. The Frightress didn't appear to be much older than Momoko, still sporting her trademark violet hair and piercing yellow eyes.

"I figured that I would find you here," the Frightress stated. "You did an excellent job of destroying the Dark Soldier."

"Let's just say that a few years of saving the world from all manner of freaks has conditioned me to me ready for fights like that," Nick teased.

"Ah, you are definitely special," the Frightress noted. "But let us see..."

"See what?!" Nick exclaimed.

Just then, the Frightress thrust her hand forward, releasing an energy burst that struck Yuki in the shoulder and sent her careening to the ground.

Nick looked on in shock.

But when he saw the lines of blood running from his best friend's wounded shoulder, that was the official last straw.

Nick slowly turned towards the Frightress, his right hand gripping Hanyou Hikari so tightly his hands hurt, though he was ignoring the pain.

"You know something, Frightress?" Nick growled. "I'm usually quite a forgiving guy..."

The Frightress suddenly noticed a glow coming from Nick's left hand, which was clutching Yuki's good luck charm.

"But when you mess with my friends, you're crossing a line!!!" Nick exclaimed, holding the good luck charm into the air.

"_An oath that will never be broken!! Yakusoku no Rikou!!!"_

The charm flashed before transforming into a weapon similar to Hanyou Hikari. The hilt was decorated with black-and-silver stars, and the blade was quite long, forming what appeared to be a scimitar. The blade constantly radiated twilight sparkles, and Yuki's charm was attached to the center of the weapon.

"Now, I don't care that you're a girl, and I DEFINITELY don't care what you're looking for on this island..." Nick growled.

Tsubaki watched in amazement as Nick brought both Hanyou Hikari and Yakusoku no Rikou into fighting stance.

"But what you just did to my best friend... what you did to Yuki-chan is UNFORGIVABLE!!!"

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Nick-kun..."

_I..._

Yuki's eyes glimmered and she struggled to get back on her feet.

_I... I have to help..._

"Yuki-chan, no!!" Tsubaki exclaimed as she rushed to the black witch's side, taking her shoulder. "You're injured so stay still."

_Oh, Yuki-chan..._

"But... Nick-kun..."

_I have to help him!!_

"Nick will be fine," Sasami reassured her, helping her sit down as she checked her injury. "So stay."

_Can't have him getting even MORE worried!!_

"Sasami-chan..."

_It..._

Yuki bit her lip tightly, almost drawing blood.

_It doesn't hurt... It doesn't even hurt that bad..._

"Listen..."

_It doesn't hurt... So..._

"Sasami-chan..."

_So I should help!!_

"No." Sasami stated firmly, waving her finger at her.

_I'm not..._

"You can't, Yuki-chan..."

_I'm not having Nick worry anymore._

"But, Sasami-chan-!!"

_I-I... I have to!!_

"Yuki-chan." Tsubaki stated quietly, taking her shoulders, making Yuki perk up in shock.

_Tsubaki...chan? What?_

"Tsu...Tsubaki-chan?"

_Huh?_

Yuki stared at her in confusion, and Tsubaki just shook her head, her face cold.

"Don't."

The black witch's eyes glimmered.

_Ah..._

"Tsubaki-chan..."

_I don't understand it..._

She finally just nodded, sighing.

_But... But!!_

Sasami looked amazed.

_Sugoi..._

"Wow, great persuasion skills, Tsubaki-chan."

Tsubaki bowed her head, closing her eyes.

_But..._

"No... It's..."

_That would be..._

"It's nothing..."

_No..._

Sasami turned confused, cocking her head to the side.

_Tsubaki-chan..._

"Eh?"

_What is she talking about?_

Tsubaki shrugged, and the aqua-haired girl just sighed.

"Tsubaki-chan..."

Yuki just looked towards the battle.

_Nick-kun..._

Nick readied both of his blades as he tensed, his own eyes wandering to Yuki.

_Yuki-chan... I made a promise..._

He gritted his teeth.

_And I'm gonna keep it!!_

Frightress just smirked.

"Give up, kid."

"Yeah, right!!" Nick shot back, charging.

The dark witch paused, and blocked the attack, her gaze drifting to Tsubaki, who automatically perked up.

_Ah..._

Frightress just smirked.

_It's only a matter of time, girl..._

"_The bow and string of a determined boy, take this!! Ojamajo Arrow of Light!!"_

Frightress' eyes widened as she was hit with the attack, growling.

"I'm taking care of this brat... Once and for all."

Nick huffed, lifting his fingers in a 'bring it' motion.

"I'd like to see you try."

"Nick-kun!!" Yuki exclaimed, worried.

Nick just smiled in Yuki's direction and nodded, making her eyes widen.

_Nick-kun..._

"Okay, Frightress. Last one standing?" the green witch offered, spinning to face her.

_No more cowardice..._

"Hmph."

Frightress folded her arms and smirked.

"That depends."

There was a short silence.

"...Figures."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

Nick looked up at the Frightress, ready to unleash hell just for Yuki's sake.

"All right, let's get this show on the road," Nick proclaimed.

Not giving the Frightress any time to react, Nick leaped into the air, bringing both of his weapons above him. After about a second, Nick slashed them both in opposite directions across each other, creating a cross-shaped energy blade that struck the Frightress and caused a good bit of damage.

"Is that all you've got?" the Frightress taunted, shrugging off the attack.

"This fight's only just begun, right?" Nick responded, bringing Hanyou Hikari behind him and spinning it around.

"_Aura Crescent!!!"_

The Frightress easily avoided the attack, not knowing that Nick had just readied Yakusoku no Rikou as well.

"Come on, kid!! You're not even trying!!"

"_Platinum Wind!!!"_

Just as the Frightress began to laugh mockingly, she was subsequently nailed by a gust of insanely sharp wind.

"Pay attention to the battle," Nick teased.

"Insolent brat!!!" the Frightress exclaimed, lunging at Nick.

The green witch easily dodged the attack, bringing both weapons behind him again.

"You're going to love this," Nick taunted, both blades glowing. _"Nova Star!!!"_

Responding to Nick's call, the entire battlefield was pelted with massive, emerald-green energy stars. The Frightress had nowhere to run, and took quite a toll of damage from the attack.

"Don't know when to give up, do you?"

"I get that a lot."

Not wasting any time, Nick jumped into the air, bringing both blades behind his head.

"I've officially had enough of you!!" Nick exclaimed. "You're going to pay for what you did to Yuki-chan!!!"

Before the Frightress could react, Nick brought both blades down hard, resulting in a powerful strike that did incredible damage.

Once the attack had landed, Nick hopped back, both of his weapons still at the ready.

"Now are you going to take my advice and leave before I have to get nasty?" Nick proclaimed.

The Frightress assessed the situation; she had already taken some serious damage, and Nick was still ready to fight. The Frightress knew if she stayed, she wouldn't stand a chance.

"You should consider yourself lucky," the Frightress commended. "For now, I must assume a tactical retreat. You have not seen the last of me."

"Don't you DARE chicken out on me!!!" Nick exclaimed, rushing forward, only to find that the Frightress had vanished.

"Fine, then," Nick stated to nobody in particular, Hanyou Hikari reverting to his wand and Yakusoku no Rikou reverting to Yuki's charm, which he slipped back into his pocket.

Now that the battle was over, Nick rushed over to Yuki so he could help her up.

"You all right, Yuki-chan?" Nick asked, concerned about his best friend.

"I will be. It's not even that bad of a wound..." Yuki replied, smiling at Nick. "But thank you for protecting me..."

"Yuki-chan, you know I'd unleash hell just to protect you," Nick responded, unable to resist giving his best friend a hug.

Yuki giggled as she returned the hug.

"Now let's go find the others," Nick stated as the four of them rushed off through the plains.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The Frightress reappeared in her mysterious dimension, her innate abilities slowly but surely healing the wounds she had suffered during that rather one-sided battle with Nick.

"Damn it... that boy is much stronger than I had ever anticipated... he has people dear to him... and that seems to make him stronger..."

The Frightress gazed at her crystal ball, which was showing a smiling Tsubaki.

"Yes... you journey with your friends, Hoshiyo... when the time comes, not even you will be able to stop me from unleashing my wrath on this world..."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Moriko-chan... Are we lost?"

"No, dear Akemi-chan... We just don't know where we are."

"Oh... I see..."

"...Isn't that the same thing as being lost?"

"SHUT IT, Kurumi-chan. No one asked for your opinion."

"Moriko-chan, please be nice..."

Moriko groaned as she put her hands on her hips, stopping in her place.

_...Damn._

"Mo...Moriko-chan?" Akemi wondered from behind, a light blush blooming in her cheeks.

_What's wrong...?_

"...Alright."

"Huh?"

"ALRIGHT, we're LOST."

Kurumi huffed, folding her arms.

_Oh..._

"Yes, I could have told you that, Moriko-chan."

_Sheesh..._

Moriko growled but sighed.

_No..._

"I-I'm so ashamed... I'm supposed to be really in tune with nature... But all I've done is lead us around in circles..."

_So much for being Mother Nature's gift..._

"Oh... Moriko-chan..." Akemi started, walking forward to rub the jade witch's shoulders in comfort. "It isn't your fault..."

_Oh, Moriko-chan..._

Kurumi just nodded as she looked about.

_Well..._

"Please, how can ANYONE get through a place like this?"

_I'm not surprised..._

Moriko just sighed.

_Still..._

"Well... We're not dead yet... So I guess that counts for something..."

_Urgh..._

"We can't even sense Nick-kun's OR Yuki-chan's aura anymore..." Kurumi mused, looking up.

_That's so strange..._

Akemi's eyes widened.

_Oh, dear..._

"Oh no... Are they hurt?"

_Now I'm worried!!_

"No..." the jade witch shook her head. "Nick-kun wouldn't get struck down so easily..."

_I know him..._

"But we did find him unconscious in the forest not too long ago," Akemi reminded her shyly.

_So... Maybe?_

Her childhood friend just tensed.

_Sheesh..._

"Please... That was a once-in-a-while opportunity."

_That moron..._

"Only an idiot would get stranded here..." Kurumi muttered shaking her head.

Both Moriko and Akemi just stared at the gray witch.

"What?"

Now she was confused.

_These two..._

"So..." Akemi started in a soft voice, twiddling her thumbs. "I guess that..."

_Um..._

"...makes us idiots." Moriko finished with a huff, walking to the crystal witch's side, growling.

_I'm insulted right now..._

"I didn't mean that..." Kurumi whispered, sighing. "I'm sorry..."

_Oh, dear..._

"It's alright..." Akemi responded, her voice still soft. "It can't be helped... Can it?"

_My..._

The gray witch just shook her head.

"No... What a shame."

Moriko tensed up, turning around.

"I have an uneasy feeling right now..."

"Moriko-chan?"

The jade witch turned, her eyes glimmering.

"Something's going to happen soon... And it won't be good."

Akemi's sapphire eyes widened.

"Ah..."

Kurumi gulped.

"Great..."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Tsubaki-chan~" Sasami chimed as she looked about. "So... Which way next?"

"Here should be good..." Tsubaki whispered wistfully, a smile tugging at her lips.

"I sure hope everyone's alright..." Yuki stated quietly, clasping her hands together. "I'm so worried..."

Nick just smiled as he patted her shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Mori-chan as well as both Akemi-chan and Kurumi-chan are doing just fine..."

"Thanks, Nick-kun..."

"Continue forth, you two..." Tsubaki muttered, her smile forming a straight line.

"How much further, Tsubaki-chan?" Sasami asked, giggling.

No response.

"Tsubaki-chan?"

Still nothing.

"Um..." Sasami tugged on the back of Tsubaki's dress, confused.

"Tsubaki-chan...?"

Tsubaki stopped.

"Not too much," she whispered, the volume barely above a whisper.

"What?"

"Sasami-chan, that's enough," Yuki stated firmly, patting the aqua-haired girl's shoulder.

Sasami sighed, and frowned, her eyes glimmering.

_Tsubaki-chan..._

Tsubaki seemed to suddenly froze, her eyes widening in pure shock.

_No..._

"P-Please excuse me!!" she exclaimed, rushing off in the opposite direction.

"TSUBAKI-CHAN!!" Sasami exclaimed, quickly rushing after her. "Please wait!! Where are you going, Tsubaki-chan?!"

"Tsubaki-chan, Sasami-chan, please wait!!" Yuki yelped as well, starting to rush after them as well but was stopped when Nick seized her hand.

"N-Nick-kun?"

"Yuki-chan... Look..."

"Huh?"

Yuki looked over, blinking her big brown eyes in confusion.

"What...?"

Her eyes went wide, turning blank.

"No... Way..."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

Yuki couldn't believe what she was seeing: there was a powerful-looking concentration of dark energy forming in the sky.

"What... is that?" Yuki wondered, shivering a little.

"I honestly have no clue..." Nick wondered.

"Fools, you are looking at the Dark Hollow."

Nick and Yuki spun around and noticed that the Frightress had just reappeared, though she was still covered with scars from the last battle.

"Apparently, you didn't learn your lesson from the last butt-kicking I gave you," Nick stated, drawing Hanyou Hikari. "And I assume you want some more?"

"You are lucky that I must still recuperate from the wounds I suffered in our previous altercation," the Frightress responded. "But that is not why I am here. I see you have noticed the Dark Hollow."

"So would you like to explain?" Yuki shot back. "Because I've got a very strong hunch that this has something to do with you..."

"You are very perceptive, black witch," the Frightress taunted. "The Dark Hollow is a creation of my own, which will swallow this island completely. I will obtain the power it holds this way."

"WHAT?!" Yuki exclaimed. "You're nuts!!"

"Maybe I am... that just makes it more fun for me," the Frightress stated. "You have four days, at most, before the Dark Hollow consumes this entire island. I would work quickly if I were you."

And with that, the Frightress had vanished.

"How many crazy freaks do we have to deal with in our lifetime?!" Yuki exclaimed.

"It's pretty much a given in this line of work, Yuki-chan," Nick responded. "You get used to it after a while."

"We'd better go find the others, and FAST!!!" Yuki stated to nobody in particular as she and Nick rushed off.

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Tsubaki stopped abruptly when she noticed the Dark Hollow forming in the sky.

"What... what the heck?!" Sasami exclaimed.

"No... she actually summoned the Dark Hollow..." Tsubaki gasped.

"What's a Dark Hollow?" Sasami asked.

"No time to explain... come on, hurry!!!" Tsubaki exclaimed, taking Sasami's hand and rushing off with the aqua-haired girl in tow.

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"Whoa... when did this cave get here?" Yuki wondered as she and Nick entered what Tsubaki had once called the Crystal Cave. It definitely lived up to its name, being filled with all kinds of illustrious crystals.

"I told you, Yuki-chan. This island seems to have a freaked-out geography," Nick responded, leaping over a pitfall. "Like these stupid freaking pitfalls..."

"I actually talked to a squirrel in one of them," Yuki admitted as she dodged around a stalagmite. "I kinda thought I was going to go insane doing that..."

Nick couldn't help but laugh at that.

Just then...

"Nick-kun? Did you hear that?"

"Hear what, Yuki-chan?" Nick replied, not sure what Yuki was talking about.

"That voice..."

"I don't hear anything... wait!! I think I just heard it!!"

"**Yeah, I KNOW you heard that."**

"HEY!!! Who's talking?!" Yuki exclaimed, her voice reverberating throughout the cave.

"**Sorry, I can't reveal that right now. Just keep your eyes open for me, okay?"**

And just like that, the voice disappeared.

"Who... was that?" Yuki wondered.

"I don't know... but it definitely sounded familiar..." Nick responded. He could have sworn he'd heard that voice somewhere before...

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Tsubaki-chan!! Wait!!"

"No time," Tsubaki repeated as she continued dashing down the path, Sasami beside her.

"I don't understand, what's going on?!" Sasami demanded, sighing heavily.

_It's starting to ache..._

She perked up, now worried.

_But this is so strange for Tsubaki-chan..._

"Tsubaki-chan...?" she whispered, uncertainly grasping tighter onto the island girl's hand.

_Tsubaki-chan..._

Tsubaki suddenly stopped, her eyes wide.

_That's right..._

Her eyelids lowered as she sighed.

_I can't... I can't let it go on like this anymore..._

"Tsubaki-chan?"

"Sasami-chan..." Tsubaki started, her voice soft as she clenched her fists. "I wanted to ask you one thing..."

"Huh?"

"What is Nick like?"

Sasami blinked twice and turned confused.

"What's that supposed to mean, Tsubaki-chan?"

"I barely know him," the island girl admitted, her voice going low. "All I DO know is what Yuki-chan told me, that he's impatient, brash, a pain... But a dear friend."

"It's true, Nick IS impatient," Sasami noted before giggling. "But he's so nice... And thinking about him makes me feel all warm inside..."

_It sets my heart to ease..._

She closed her eyes, sighing.

_It's such a wonderful feeling..._

"Warm?"

Tsubaki blinked, cocking her head to the side.

"Is that so?"

"Yes..."

Sasami grinned, blushing a bit.

"Nick makes me REALLY happy!!"

Tsubaki's eyes widened.

_Happy..._

"And the closer I am to him, the better it is!!" Sasami squealed. "I don't know what this feeling is, but I really, REALLY like it!!"

The island girl blinked, immediately jumping into a flashback.

"_The closer I am to my Saiki-kun the better..."_

"_He and I are in pure, untainted love."_

"_Please... stay... Saiki-kun..."_

Tsubaki's eyes jolted wide.

_Yuki-chan..._

Sasami soon perked up, and turned surprised.

_I wonder..._

"Oh, what about you, Tsubaki-chan? Do you feel the same way around Nick, too?"

_Maybe?_

Tsubaki stared at her and shook her head.

_No... Not at all..._

"That same...? Of course not. I have no one special in my heart..."

_Yes..._

Yuki's smile flashed in her mind.

_Yes... No one..._

"That's so sad!!" Sasami exclaimed, quickly taking her shoulders. "Surely you must have some friends, Tsubaki-chan!!"

"No..."

Her volume was barely above a whisper.

"What about me?" the aqua-haired girl asked. "I'm your friend, right Tsubaki-chan?"

Tsubaki's eyes widened.

_Really?_

"Sasami-chan..."

_My friend?_

"Well... Tsubaki-chan?"

Tsubaki looked down, and sighed, removing Sasami's hands from her shoulders.

"Listen here, Sasami-chan..."

"HEY!! SASAMI-CHAN!! THERE YOU ARE!!"

Sasami perked up, surprised.

"Moriko-chan! Akemi-chan! Kurumi-chan!!"

Tsubaki's eyes widened and rushed off while Sasami was distracted, the other three girls rushing up to her.

"Thank goodness... I was able to navigate through this forest..." Moriko sighed, relieved.

"Good job, Moriko-chan," Sasami giggled.

Akemi nodded, blushing a bit.

"Yeah..."

"So, where's Nick-kun and Yuki-chan?" Kurumi asked, hoping to get straight to the point.

Sasami started thinking at that.

"Hopefully, they're where we left them?"

"We?" the three witches repeated, and Akemi spoke up.

"You're the only one I see, Sasami-chan."

"Huh?"

Sasami looked about, confused.

"Tsubaki-chan? Where did she go?"

"Ne Sasami-chan," Kurumi started, looking desperate. "We need to go catch up with Yuki-chan and Nick-kun..."

Sasami blinked, still unsure.

"R-Right..."

_Tsubaki-chan..._

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"Nick-kun... This place is really pretty, but..."

Nick and Yuki looked about as they walked, Yuki clinging to Nick's back as she sighed.

"It's... kinda creepy... Not that I'm scared or anything like that..."

"Huh..."

Nick looked up, sighing.

"I think this is where the voice came from..."

"Hontou?" the black witch asked as she turned her hair.

"But it just feels so eerie."

"Don't worry, Yuki-chan."

Nick gave her a cheeky grin.

"If you get in trouble, I'll save you. So don't worry, okay?"

"I won't get in trouble!!" the black witch protested as she huffed.

"And even if I did, I won't need your help!! I'm a strong girl, Nick-kun!!"

Nick had to laugh.

"Oh, Yuki-chan..."

_She's so cute..._

They both perked up.

"Yuki-chan, heard that?"

"The sound of footsteps you hear as soon as you stop walking?"

Nick suddenly shuddered.

"Maybe..."

"Don't worry, Nick-kun!!" Yuki exclaimed, cheerful as ever. "I'll protect you!!"

Nick just rolled his eyes at that.

"Whatever, Yuki-chan..."

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Tsubaki breathed heavily as she sat down, shivering.

"I can't see them anymore... No!!"

She shook her head, groaning.

"No, no, no... I can't be with them anymore..."

She looked up, amethyst eyes unclear.

"I have to keep my work... I have a duty."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"You hear that, Nick-kun?" Yuki asked.

"Someone's here..." Nick responded.

"Oh, how right you are."

Before either of the two could react, a powerful dark shockwave struck the ground close to them, knocking both of them to the ground.

"HEY!!!! Cheap shot, buddy!!!" Yuki exclaimed as she picked herself up, thankfully not having taken any damage thanks to her own dark powers canceling out the shockwave.

"I am known for cheap shots," the mysterious figure responded in an evil-sounding voice.

"Would you like to explain yourself before Yuki-chan and I beat the stuffing out of you?!" Nick exclaimed.

"Hmph. I see no need to explain myself to a bunch of lonely peons," the figure proclaimed.

That one statement, apparently, seemed to peeve Nick off to no end.

"Watch what you say to my best friend, buddy!!!" Yuki exclaimed, drawing her wand.

"_Snap, Tobiume!!"_

Yuki's wand flashed bright pink before changing into a rather long sword with several jitte-like prongs sticking from it.

"Please. Is that the best you can do?" the figure taunted.

"Not even close, jerk-face!!" Yuki shot back, giggling a bit at what she'd just said. _"Shutsuga Tobiume!! Flick them with the mysterious energy of twilight!!"_

With that, Tobiume's blade began glowing with a holy light, so bright that it forced the mystery figure to back off a couple feet.

"So your weapon glows," the figure taunted. "Not impressive in the least."

"Um, buddy, I wouldn't piss her off if I were you," Nick responded. "Trust me, you do not want to see Yuki-chan when she's angry..."

But it was too late for that, as Yuki let out a battle cry and charged forward, Shutsuga Tobiume held behind her.

"I see you wish to bring it," the figure responded.

Yuki just grinned. _"Twilight Rush!!!"_

With that, Yuki moved forward so fast that it seemed she'd phased out of sight.

Before the mystery figure could react, Yuki appeared right in front of him, slashing Shutsuga Tobiume forward and doing some good damage.

Yuki continually phased in and out, using her enhanced speed to land quite a few strikes on the mystery figure.

Nick saw this as his cue, rushing forward and drawing his own wand.

"Such an insolent welp," the figure taunted.

Yuki giggled at that. "I wouldn't say that."

"Oh? And why is that, brat girl?"

"_Let the demon's luster shine brightly!! Hanyou Hikari, shine down!!"_

Yuki smiled before stepping to the side just in time for Nick to come charging at the mystery figure, Hanyou Hikari's blade glowing with a powerful ruby-red light.

"_Muramasa Strike!!!"_ Nick exclaimed, slamming Hanyou Hikari into the ground and sending a rather demonic-looking energy wave straight at the mystery figure.

The figure put his arms up to block the strike, but still took some decent damage.

"You are as strong as they say," the figure stated.

"I've got more than just that up my sleeve," Nick responded, spinning Hanyou Hikari in his hands.

"Want me to demonstrate? _Aura Crescent!!!_"

Nick thrust his spinning blade forward, unleashing a spiral of sparkling energy bursts that pushed the mystery figure back.

"Such insolence," the figure responded.

"I'm going to guess that you work for the Frightress?" Yuki stated matter-of-factly.

"How perceptive of you," the figure noted. "Yes, I work for the Frightress. You may call me Lancelot."

"WHAT?! What kind of name is that?!" Yuki exclaimed.

"If you ask me, I think he's been playing too much _Sonic and the Black Knight_," Nick responded.

"Down to business anyway," Lancelot responded. "What brings you to this cave?"

"We're trying to stop the Frightress," Nick explained. "What does it LOOK like we're doing?!"

"Now, see, I can't let you do that," Lancelot responded. "The Frightress will rule over this island."

"What's so important about this place, anyway?!" Yuki exclaimed, running short on patience.

"You've seen the Dark Hollow, have you not? The Frightress plans to use the Dark Hollow to capture the power that lies somewhere within this island and use it for her own ends."

"You must be out of your mind!!" Yuki exclaimed, gripping Shutsuga Tobiume and charging.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"TSUBAKI-CHAN!!!! YUKI-CHAN!!! NICK!!!!" Sasami exclaimed, searching for Tsubaki.

"That didn't work the last hundred times, Sasami-chan," Moriko stated.

"You really do have some impressive lungs, Sasami-chan," Akemi giggled.

"MAN, can you make sound," Kurumi stated.

"No sign of ANY of them..." Sasami groaned. "Just what the heck is going on?!"

A gasp of shock from Akemi snapped Sasami's attention to the crystal witch.

"What's wrong, Akemi-chan?" Sasami asked, wondering what the reason for Akemi's high-pitched shout was.

That's when the aqua-haired girl saw the reason.

"Oh... my god..."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Tsubaki sighed heavily as she dragged her feet through the forest, looking about.

"It has... to be around here... somewhere..."

She stopped, perking up.

"Wait..."

A loud scream soon registered in her ears, making the island girl snap up.

_What?!_

It took her a few minutes to recognize the voice.

"A...Akemi-chan?"

_No..._

Her fists clenched as she shut her eyes tightly.

_No... It's not supposed to be like this..._

She shook her head, pressing forward.

_No... No..._

Tsubaki's amethyst eyes opened, glittering.

_This is what I want, right?_

"I..."

_I just don't know anymore..._

She looked up at the Dark Hollow forming overhead.

_Yes..._

She bit her lip, almost drawing blood.

_This is about..._

Her grip lessened and a sigh escaped her lips.

_What I want._

She walked ahead, her head hung low.

_Yuki-chan... Nick... Sasami-chan..._

Their faces flashed in her mind, and Tsubaki's eyes closed.

_No more._

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"LET GO OF MY AKEMI-CHAN, YOU CREEP!!"

Moriko growled as she clenched her fists, her eyes sparking with pure hatred.

The dark matter crackled, pulling in the unconscious crystal witch closer.

"Akemi-chan!!" the jade witch exclaimed, thrashing forward, desperately trying to free her childhood friend.

"Moriko-chan, hold up!!" Kurumi exclaimed. "There's just something wrong with that stuff surrounding Akemi-chan!!"

"You think I care?!" Moriko shot back, peeved. "Anyone who THINKS they can wrap themselves around MY Akemi-chan has got another thing coming!!"

"Moriko-chan..." Sasami started, eyes glimmering.

Moriko spun back towards the dark matter, and threw her hands forward.

"_SAKURA SCATTER!!"_

Sakura pedals flew from her palms, surrounding Akemi, only to be absorbed.

The jade witch's eyes just started widening in pure shock.

_No..._

"A-Akemi-chan..."

_My Akemi-chan..._

She watched in horror as it spread around the crystal witch, making her shiver in pain.

"Mo...ri...ko...chan..."

Moriko's eyes jolted wide.

"Akemi-chan..."

"Moriko-chan, it's just going to absorb if you use your usual attacks," Kurumi stated, putting her hands on her hips. "Maybe if you tried some combos?"

"I haven't done such a thing with someone other than Akemi-chan or Nick-kun..."

Moriko bit her lip, fighting off tears.

_Just great!! MY Akemi-chan, taken from my very eyes!!_

She shut her eyes tightly, and hiccupped a sob.

_And I'm so useless... Nick-kun... If only..._

"I'll help you, Moriko-chan."

Moriko perked up, turning towards Kurumi, surprised.

"Kurumi-chan?"

"I've never tried this without Nick-kun or Yuki-chan, I'll admit that..." the gray witch trailed off, blushing a bit. "But..."

_But I..._

"But I know what it's like to be useless when your loved one's in danger..."

_That memory of flames... It still haunts me..._

"Besides, Akemi-chan is my friend, too."

Kurumi winked, beaming.

"So I will definitely help!!"

The jade witch stared before she smiled, and nodded.

"Thanks a bunch. I owe ya one, Kurumi-chan."

The child model nodded in return, slipping her hand into Moriko's.

Sasami's ruby red eyes just glittered as the two began glowing.

"Wow..."

_So cool..._

"_Purity of a daisy..."_ Moriko chanted softly, her hands tightening around Kurumi's.

"_Energy from the stars..."_ Kurumi continued, glowing a pure silver.

"_With these combined forces, we won't allow any harm to come to the world we love!!"_ they both exclaimed, drawing their hands back, the mixed energy spiraling around them.

"_Double Ojamajo Infinite Dance!!"_

The attack pushed forward, spinning like a drill, digging into the dark matter and exploding in a beam of light.

The three girls quickly shielded their eyes.

"A...Akemi-chan?" Moriko wondered as the light cleared, and her eyes jolted wide.

Akemi was surrounded by the dark matter, shielding her from the attack, sinking away into the darkness.

"No..."

Moriko's heart raced as her eyes widened, feeling like her world was being pulled away from her.

_No..._

Her eyes glittered, and she gritted her teeth.

_Akemi-chan... Akemi-chan... Akemi-chan..._

Her heart picked up the pace.

_Akemi-chan...!!_

"_M-Moriko-chan..."_ she could almost hear the crystal witch's voice in her head, even if she was still out cold. _"Moriko-chan..."_

"_Help...me..."_

That clinched it.

"AKEMI-CHAN!!" the jade witch screamed, charging after the dark matter, surprising Sasami and Kurumi.

"Moriko-chan, DON'T!!"

But it was too late, the florist threw herself forward, letting herself be absorbed along with Akemi.

Moriko wrapped her arms around Akemi, pulling her close, her tears sparkling.

"I'm so sorry..."

"MORIKO-CHAN!!" Kurumi screamed, Sasami beside her as the dark matter faded away.

"N-No..."

Kurumi shivered, tears slowly forming in her eyes.

"No... Moriko-chan... Akemi-chan..."

"Kurumi-chan..." Sasami started, reaching out in comfort.

"Sasami-chan."

"Eh?"

The aqua-haired girl perked up, eyes wide.

"Kurumi-chan?"

"We..."

Her voice was strangled and she shivered, as if trying desperately to not burst into tears.

"We have to find Nick-kun and Yuki-chan..."

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Yuki swiped through the mysterious figure, growling.

"Stay STILL, darn it!!"

The figure just smirked.

"Don't think so."

"You..."

She huffed, now glowing with a twilight aura.

"You asked for it, creep!!"

Nick suddenly perked up, looking to the side.

"Yuki-chan, wait!!"

Yuki snapped up as well, and the figure chuckled.

"My, it's already begun..."

Without warning, the green witch snatched up her hand, surprising her.

"N-Nick-kun?!"

"We have to hurry." He grumbled, dashing off in the opposite direction, leading deeper into the cave.

"W-Wait, Nick-kun!! I HAVEN'T MADE THAT GUY PAY YET!! HOLD UP!!"

She looked back at the figure, who vanished.

_Nick-kun... Ran? Seriously? What is going on?!_

She looked towards Nick, and winced, her hand being squished in his iron grip.

"Nick-kun..."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"Nick-kun, hold your horses!!! I HAVE TO KICK THAT GUY'S BEHIND FOR WHAT HE SAID ABOUT ME!!!!" Yuki screamed, trying her best to keep up with Nick despite the inescapable fact that her best friend still had quite a grip on her hand.

"There's no time for that, Yuki-chan," Nick responded. "I just sensed something terrible... something's WAY wrong out there... and to make things worse, I can't sense Mori-chan OR Akemi-chan any more..."

"W-what?!" Yuki exclaimed. "What happened to them?!"

"I honestly have no clue, but I'll bet it has something to do with the Dark Hollow," Nick noted. "We'd better move."

Yuki just nodded, now seriously worried about her missing friends.

Not wasting any time, Nick scooped Yuki into his arms and boosted off through the cave.

After about ten more minutes, Nick and Yuki finally broke out of the cave, squinting their eyes to adjust to the daylight.

"NICK!!!! YUKI-CHAN!!!!" Sasami's voice resounded from far away.

"Guess that's our cue to get moving," Yuki stated.

Nick just sped up, hoping to reach the others before it was too late.

After another minute, Nick skidded to a stop in the plains, setting Yuki down.

"NICK!!!!" Sasami exclaimed, rushing into Nick's arms.

"Whoa!! What's the matter, Sasami-chan?" Nick asked, comforting the hysteric girl.

"It's not good, Nick-kun..." Kurumi stated, looking like she was about to burst into a crying fit. "These dark matter things... they took Moriko-chan and Akemi-chan..."

"They WHAT?!!" Yuki exclaimed.

"Sasami-chan and I tried to stop them, but those dark matter things just swatted us aside..." Kurumi explained. "You've gotta believe me, Nick-kun... we tried our best... we really did..."

"Hey, it's not your fault, Kurumi-chan..." Nick responded, patting Kurumi on the shoulder. "I'm sure you did everything you could. But right now, priority one is stopping this madness before we suffer any more casualties."

"NICK!!!! LOOK OUT!!!!" Sasami screamed, shoving him down to the ground just in time to avoid another attacking blob of dark energy.

Once Nick regained his composure, he stood up and faced down the dark blob.

"Well, well, Dark Matter," Nick challenged. "I never thought I'd see you again."

"_It's been a while,"_ the dark blob responded.

"Wait, Nick-kun, you know this thing?" Yuki asked, a little confused.

"Somewhat," Nick responded. "One of the first bad-guy fighting adventures I remember going on was to stop THIS THING from corrupting everybody's dreams. I actually had to go to the dream world to stop this thing."

"_I still haven't forgotten what you did to me, boy,"_ Dark Matter growled.

"I sealed you inside of Nightmare for your own good, Dark Matter," Nick shot back. "You're not supposed to be corrupting people's dreams just because you feel like it!!"

"_Hmph. Like I really care about what you think,"_ Dark Matter responded. _"The Frightress has given me a chance at revenge, and I believe I'll start by taking your other so-called friends."_

"Oh, you don't know who you're messing with, buddy," Nick growled, drawing Hanyou Hikari. "You really think you can just mess with my friends and get away with it?!"

Not wasting any time, Nick charged straight at Dark Matter, raising his weapon above his head.

"_Such impatience, boy."_

"How about you STOP SAYING THAT TO ME?!" Nick shot back before slashing fiercely at Dark Matter.

Dark Matter easily blocked the strike, flying forward in an attempt to absorb Sasami much like he had with Akemi and Moriko.

Yuki let out a gasp of complete shock when Kurumi threw herself in front of Sasami, Dark Matter absorbing the gray witch instead.

"KURUMI-CHAN!!!!" Yuki screamed.

"Oh, NOW you're dead meat," Nick growled, spinning Hanyou Hikari in his hands.

"Take this, you bastard!! _Aura Crescent!!_"

The silver aura attack struck Dark Matter, but he just wouldn't seem to give up.

"_Such a worthless effort, boy,"_ Dark Matter proclaimed. _"You know it is useless to resist my powers."_

"Why don't you shut up and GIVE OUR FRIENDS BACK?!!" Nick shot back.

Dark Matter responded to this by shooting a powerful dark shockwave that slammed Nick into the ground.

Then, before Nick could even pick himself up, Dark Matter flew over and ensnared Yuki.

"LET ME GO, YOU MASS OF PARTICLES!!!" Yuki exclaimed, trying in vain to break free.

"YUKI-CHAN!!!" Nick exclaimed, rushing forward only to be once again slammed into the ground by Dark Matter.

Nick was forced to watch helplessly as Dark Matter finished absorbing Yuki.

"_You are lucky that I don't absorb the rest of you. Right now, I have other plans to take care of."_

And just like that, before Nick could protest, Dark Matter was gone. Nick and Sasami were the only ones left on the battlefield.

Nick fell to his knees, tears threatening to spill out any second.

"Oh, Nick..." Sasami gasped, trying to think of something she could say to comfort Nick.

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Tsubaki looked about as she walked, sighing heavily.

_I..._

"So close... So close..."

_I..._

She suddenly looked up, her ears perked as the flower in her hair twitched.

_Hey..._

"So... You finally decided to keep your end of the deal, Hoshiyo."

Breaking into a sprint, the light blue-haired girl ran, her heart pounding.

_So close..._

"This way, Hoshiyo."

_I'm so close..._

"A little closer..."

_I'm so close to what I want!!_

"You're almost there..."

_YES!!_

"FRIGHTRESS!!" Tsubaki nearly screamed as she pushed herself forward, finding herself in a dark clearing.

"Ah, you're here."

Tsubaki looked up slowly, and sure enough, there the dark witch was, smirking.

"Frightress..."

Her fists clenched and she stepped forward.

"Well... I kept my side of the bargain," she stated, reverting back to her stone-faced self.

Frightress nodded, seeming content.

"Yes... And I even got a little extra from you..."

"Extra?"

Tsubaki looked up, her eyes wide in confusion.

"What extra?"

"These girls, of course."

Frightress gestured towards the wall, and Tsubaki's eyes widened in horror.

"Moriko-chan... Akemi-chan..."

There was the crystal witch, constricted high in the air with vines, Moriko in the same position.

"This wasn't a part of the deal..." Tsubaki whispered, her voice shaking. "Let them go, Frightress..."

"Please, Hoshiyo."

Frightress snickered and that was when the dark matter slithered up, shivering.

"Ah... And it returns with more."

"More?"

Tsubaki's eyes glimmered as the dark matter sunk away, slipping away from both Yuki and Kurumi's unconscious bodies.

"No... Yuki-chan... Kurumi-chan..."

"My, my... Isn't that something?"

Frightress smirked, chuckling.

"A twilight princess and a moonlight witch..."

Tsubaki perked up, turning to the dark witch.

"Do you really have to take them away? Yuki-chan is such a nice girl... All of her friends are..."

"This really isn't your place to talk, Hoshiyo..."

"But..."

Frightress placed a hand on her shoulder, and smirked.

"Remember... We had a deal, Hoshiyo. Remember, you're the one who traded your services for the paradise you always wanted..."

Tsubaki just fiddled with nervously with the hem of her skirt.

"You've lived in luxury up to this point, Hoshiyo..." Frightress stated, her voice low. "Don't ruin it by not returning the favor."

She just nodded, blushing darkly.

"R-Right..."

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"I can't believe it..."

Nick sighed heavily, ruffling his already messy hair.

"Yuki-chan... I failed her..."

Yuki's smile flashed in his mind, and he growled.

"Yuki-chan..."

"Nick-kun!!"

_I... I..._

"It's alright, Nick..." Sasami stated, trying to take the green witch's hand in comfort. "We'll save her... And the others, too..."

_Nick..._

"I promised her..." Nick shook his head, huffing.

_Darn it!!_

"I made a promise that I'd always protect her... And I lost her to that... that BLOB!!"

"Which reminds me..."

Nick perked up, looking towards Sasami.

"Sasami-chan...?"

"Nick..." she started carefully, her voice slow. "How did you know that thing anyway?"

"I-It's a long story..."

"Kellysi-chan?"

Nick and Sasami both perked up, and looked over.

"Hazuki-chan... Poppu-chan..."

"We... We were able to repair the ship..." Hazuki started, her voice shaking. "But something's wrong..."

"What's going on?" Poppu asked, just getting to the point.

Nick looked up, sighing.

"It's...a long story."

"Kellysi-chan..."

"Nick...?"

Nick looked towards Sasami, and sighed.

"We gotta save them."

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"You know... I never meant for you to get involved..."

Tsubaki sighed as she sat down, glancing towards the still unconscious Yuki as she was stuck to the wall with dark energy, looking completely out of it.

"I'm sorry that you and Nick were dragged into this..."

Tsubaki folded her hands in her lap, sighing.

"I asked for a paradise... One that I always dreamed of..."

She looked towards the black witch, frowning.

"Can you really blame me?"

No response. Of course, she was STILL out cold, after all.

"I thought so... You don't understand, Yuki-chan... Sasami-chan doesn't either..."

She stood up, walking towards the doorway.

"But I'll bring you Nick. He's probably who you want to see right now... Whether you're in love with this Saiki guy or not..."

"_...You're wrong..."_

Tsubaki perked up, surprised.

"Yuki-chan?"

Nothing.

She shrugged it off.

_Maybe I'm just imagining it..._

She frowned, sighing.

_Oh, Yuki-chan..._

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"You mean Dark Matter's returned?" Hazuki wondered once Nick had relayed the entire story of what had just happened. "Didn't you seal him in the Nightmare Dimension?"

"I'm willing to bet that the Frightress brought him back," Poppu responded. "She's got creepy dark powers up the wazoo..."

That was when Poppu noticed Nick's sad expression.

"What's wrong, Kellysi-chan?" Poppu asked, scooting a bit closer to the green witch. He looked like he was about to burst into tears.

"I... I feel like I failed Yuki-chan... I promised I'd protect her, and Dark Matter takes her away from me just like that..."

Poppu smiled.

"Broken promise, nothing. Kellysi-chan, Yuki-chan's always liked you because you never give up on ANYTHING. What will that be if you give up just because she got kidnapped by a freaky blob thing? She's been kidnapped by so much worse, and yet every time that's happened, you manage to kick butt and save her from the monsters. You can still do it, Kellysi-chan. This should just be extra incentive for you to get Yuki-chan back."

Nick stared at Poppu for a few seconds.

"Never would have thought you'd be the type to wax philosophical, Poppu-chan," Nick teased.

"Comes with the territory," Poppu giggled. "I have to do it with Doremi all the time."

Poppu then turned serious, leaning forward to plant a kiss on Nick's cheek. "Just remember, Kellysi-chan, she's still your friend, no matter what happens to her. And you wouldn't leave a friend behind, would you?"

"No chance in hell," Nick responded, shooting to his feet.

"There we go," Poppu stated. "That's the Kellysi-chan I remember."

"Looks like I've got a friend to save," Nick stated. "You girls up for some traveling?"

Both girls nodded.

Nick extended his hands behind him, to which both Hazuki and Poppu got the message.

Popup reached out with her right hand, while reaching out to Hazuki with her left.

Once all three were connected, Nick grinned. "You may want to hold on to your hats or anything else to hold on to."

Sasami just nodded to the girls, ready for action like always.

And with that, Nick boosted forward, rushing off through the plains with Sasami not too far behind.

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"I... I don't know what I'm supposed to do..." Tsubaki stated, confused beyond belief as she stared at the restrained members of Yuki's team. "I never wanted to make a deal with that stupid witch in the first place, but I don't want to be alone on this island for the rest of my life..."

"_Sometimes, we must all make sacrifices to get what we want, Hoshiyo,"_ the Frightress responded from afar.

"Just remember MY side of the deal, Frightress..." Tsubaki proclaimed. "I give you what you want, and you'll let me go free. You'll let me go with my new friends."

"_Part of the deal. I never go back on my word,"_ the Frightress replied. _"But maybe I should make Dark Matter keep them busy while I uphold my end of the bargain."_

Just in time, Nick and Sasami skidded to a stop, still holding onto Hazuki and Poppu.

"Looks like we just made it," Nick stated to nobody in particular.

"But five bucks says it's not gonna be that easy," Sasami replied.

As if to answer the aqua-haired girl's inquiry, a mass of particles appeared on the battlefield, converging into Dark Matter.

Nick growled. "All right, Dark Matter, what's the deal with absorbing my friends like that?!"

"_Simple planning, really," _Dark Matter stated. _"I keep you busy while the Frightress does what she needs to do."_

"I'm not playing around anymore, Dark Matter!! LET MY FRIENDS GO RIGHT NOW!!!!" Nick screamed.

"_Only if you can defeat me, which I highly doubt,"_ Dark Matter responded, rearranging his body into a more combat-oriented form. _"Let us see what you are capable of."_

Nick drew his wand at this challenge.

"_Let the demon's luster shine brightly!! Hanyou Hikari, shine down!!"_

Once his weapon was formed, Nick rushed forward.

"_Foolish impatient boy,"_ Dark Matter proclaimed, unleashing a dark shockwave that knocked Nick back a couple yards.

Nick didn't let that faze him, quickly recovering and charging again.

Dark Matter simply laughed, and prepared another shockwave attack.

However, this time, Nick slid under Dark Matter, quickly pivoting his body to slash Dark Matter across the back, causing quite a nice bit of damage.

"_Lucky shot,"_ Dark Matter shot back, unleashing his next dark shockwave, this one seemingly ten times more powerful than the last one.

"What the heck?! Where's he getting all that power?!" Poppu exclaimed.

It was then that Hazuki noticed that a bit of Dark Matter's substance was attached to Yuki and her team. Suddenly, it came to her.

"Kellysi-chan!!! Dark Matter's draining Yuki-chan and her friends' powers!! That's why he's so strong now!!" Hazuki exclaimed.

Nick perked up at this. "Then I think I know what I've gotta do."

Ready to put his plan into action, Nick charged at Dark Matter again, parrying one of the dark being's strikes and leaping upwards to strike him in the head. This only seemed to make Dark Matter angrier.

"_You'll wish you hadn't done that, boy!!"_ Dark Matter exclaimed, lashing out with his sword.

Nick blocked the strike, performing a flip over Dark Matter's head and wasting no time in slashing through the vines that were holding Yuki.

Dark Matter suddenly lurched forward as some of his newfound power drained away from him, confirming Hazuki's idea.

"Nick-kun?" Yuki sleepily asked. "Is... is that you?"

"Who else besides Saiki-kun would try to save you from a nightmare freak on a deserted island?" Nick teased.

Yuki couldn't resist hugging Nick at this point. "Thanks for coming to my rescue, Nick-kun..."

Nick returned the embrace, smiling like he always liked to do around Yuki. "Yuki-chan, you know..."

"...you'd unleash hell just to protect me. I know the script," Yuki giggled.

Nick turned back to Dark Matter; he looked substantially weaker, but nowhere close enough to where Nick could easily finish him off.

"So, what's the game plan here?" Yuki asked.

"Apparently, Dark Matter's trying to drain the girl's powers for himself," Nick explained. "If we can free them, Dark Matter's gonna be easy pickings."

"Gotcha, Nick-kun!!!" Yuki exclaimed, mock-saluting.

"_Such wishful thinking,"_ Dark Matter responded. _"I still have well more than enough power to destroy you!!"_

"We'll see about that," Yuki challenged, shifting into fighting stance alongside Nick.

Dark Matter responded to this by firing dark beams of energy from his eyes, which Nick and Yuki easily vaulted away from.

"Nice try, dark cloud, but you'll have to do better than that!!" Yuki exclaimed, suddenly thinking of something. "Dark Cloud... that would actually be a cooler name for this guy..."

"_You dare to mock me?!"_ Dark Matter exclaimed, too distracted to notice that Nick was coming right at him.

Before Dark Matter could get his bearings, Nick slashed at him with Hanyou Hikari, forcing him to back off.

"_Quite useless, my young friend. I still have quite a lot of power,"_ Dark Matter mocked.

"We'll see," Nick shot back.

"_Shadow Claw!!!"_

Yuki wasted no time in using her Shadow Claw to tear through the vines holding Akemi. The crystal witch fell to the ground at this, still a little woozy.

"It's okay, Akemi-chan," Yuki comforted. "No more silly vines holding you back."

"_Arigatou_, Yuki-chan..." Akemi stated, still shaking off sleepiness. "Is Nick-kun okay?"

"He's fighting the dark cloud thingy," Yuki responded, gesturing towards the fierce battle.

"_Eat this, boy!!"_ Dark Matter exclaimed, throwing another shockwave towards Nick that was now easily deflected.

"Not too shabby," Nick responded, "but you're losing power pretty fast. _Aura Crescent!!!_"

The silver burst knocked Dark Matter for a loop, giving Nick ample time to rush over and slice through the vines holding Moriko.

"Took you freaking long enough, Nick-kun," Moriko chided once she'd gained her balance back.

"I got a little sidetracked on the way," Nick responded. "You know me, Mori-chan."

"Can't catch me!!!" Sasami giggled, boosting in circles around Dark Matter.

"_Stand still, wretched girl!!!"_ Dark Matter exclaimed, trying in vain to strike at Sasami; she was simply too fast for him now.

"Sorry, no sale," Sasami responded, boosting over to Nick and joining hands with him.

"_From a sparkle in the sky..."_ Sasami chanted.

"_To a ripple in the river..."_ Nick continued.

"_As the world shines, let us bring hope to the people we wish to protect!!!"_

Dark Matter shot a shockwave at Nick and Sasami, but Moriko was over there in a flash, using her Sakura Scatter to absorb the impact.

"NEVER underestimate the power of mother nature," Moriko proclaimed.

"_Double Ojamajo Purifying Sparkle!!!"_

At this, Nick and Sasami thrust their hands forward, unleashing a cluster of insanely bright sparkles that struck Dark Matter and exploded around him, causing quite a toll of damage.

"_You think you can defeat me?!"_ Dark Matter proclaimed.

"Looks like YOU'RE the one who's getting stomped here," Moriko giggled.

"Hold on, Kurumi-chan," Yuki stated. _"Shadow Claw!!!"_

Yuki tore through the vines holding Kurumi, causing the child model to fall to the ground, though Yuki was there to catch her.

"Thanks for the rescue, Yuki-chan," Kurumi stated.

"No problem, Kurumi-chan," Yuki responded. "Now let's go and kick that thing's butt!!"

Kurumi nodded, rushing up to Moriko.

"Let's try this again, 'kay, Moriko-chan?" Kurumi asked.

"I couldn't agree more," Moriko responded, joining hands with Kurumi.

"_Purity of a daisy..."_ Moriko chanted softly, her hands tightening around Kurumi's.

"_Energy from the stars..."_ Kurumi continued, glowing a pure silver.

"_With these combined forces, we won't allow any harm to come to the world we love!!"_ they both exclaimed, drawing their hands back, the mixed energy spiraling around them.

"_Double Ojamajo Infinite Dance!!"_

The attack pushed forward, spinning like a drill, digging into Dark Matter and exploding in a beam of light.

"_Worthless little..."_ Dark Matter gasped, knowing that without his source of power, he was as good as done for.

"I'm done playing around now, Dark Matter!!" Nick exclaimed, stepping up. "I think it's time I wiped you off the face of the earth!!"

Yuki and the girls, knowing what they had to do, formed a circle around Nick, joining their hands to complete the circle.

Sasami just watched in amazement. "Oh, this is going to be SO COOL!!!"

"Kellysi-chan gets all the flashy moves..." Poppu noted.

"He IS the hero here," Hazuki giggled.

"_The sun brightening the day..."_ Yuki chanted.

"_The moon shining on the world..."_ Akemi chanted.

"_The light casting its radiance..."_ Moriko chanted.

"_The shadow overlapping its twilight..."_ Kurumi chanted.

Nick raised his hand into the air, right in the center of the circle created by his friends.

"_The brilliance of this wonderful world and all its splendors... I will not allow you to defile its purity!!!"_ Nick chanted, his raised fist beginning to glow with an immense light.

Not wasting any time, Nick rushed out of the circle, slashing at Dark Matter with his glowing fist, encasing the dark being in a glowing glass prism.

That done, Nick leaped into the air, aiming his still-glowing fists at the imprisoned Dark Matter.

"It's over, dark boy!!!" Nick exclaimed. _"Ojamajo Holy Prism!!!"_

Responding to Nick's command, a massive burst of light shot from his hands, forming another prism around Dark Matter. After a few seconds, both prisms exploded in a flash of holy light, the intensity of the light too much for Dark Matter to handle. As the holy light got brighter and brighter, Dark Matter eventually evaporated into nothingness.

Once the light had cleared (and that took a while due to the intensity of the attack), Nick dropped to the ground, doing a bit of a victory pose.

"Check and mate."

Sasami couldn't even speak due to her being in such awe from Nick's incredible attack.

"That... was... AWESOME!!!!!" Sasami exclaimed.

Nick flashed a thumbs-up to his traveling partner. "Just doing what I've got to do."

"And why do you decide to wait until NOW to pull an attack like THAT out of your sleeves, Nick-kun?" Moriko demanded.

"Eh, seemed like the right time," Nick teased.

Moriko just groaned at that. "Sometimes I will never understand you, Nick-kun..."

Nick was about to make a witty response when he noticed that Tsubaki was on her knees and was crying.

"Tsubaki-chan?" Nick asked. "What's the matter?"

Tsubaki perked up at that. _No... I can't tell them... I don't want them to hate me... I don't want them to resent me for what I've done..._

Nick suddenly walked over to Tsubaki, extending a hand to help her up.

"You can tell us if you want to. We won't hold anything against you," Nick stated. "We're your friends, Tsubaki-chan..."

That seemed to clinch it. Tsubaki took Nick's hand so he could help her stand. "All right... I guess I need to get this off my chest... I've been living on this island for so long... I was lonely... so the Frightress made me a deal... if I brought her some kind of power, she promised she'd let me off this island..."

In all honesty, Nick wasn't too surprised by this.

"I've lived alone for almost as long as I can remember... people do desperate things in situations like this..."

Nick couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah, but villains are never trustworthy. I've fought enough of them to know THAT by heart."

Nick then slid his arms around Tsubaki's neck, softly embracing the island girl.

"Tsubaki-chan, you don't need help from a psychopathic bitch to see what the world has to offer," Nick explained. "Once we take care of the Frightress, we'll take you with us. We'll take you to see the world. Trust me, it's wonderful going to such exotic places."

Nick smiled at Tsubaki. "Sasami-chan can vouch for that."

"It's just AWESOME traveling the world!!!" the aqua-haired girl exclaimed.

"You... you would really do that for me?" Tsubaki asked.

"No lie, Tsubaki-chan," Nick responded. "You know I don't break my promises."

Tsubaki, looking like she was about to burst into a crying fit, smiled brightly and threw her arms around Nick.

"Thank you so much!!!" Tsubaki exclaimed.

Nick just patted Tsubaki on the back.

"_It seems my time has come."_

Everyone tensed up at this, just as the Frightress appeared.

"Sorry, witch lady, but your little bargain just fell through," Nick challenged. "Tsubaki-chan's coming with us once we wipe the floor with your robed butt."

The Frightress just laughed mockingly at this. "I see how you are playing, then... I guess a suitable punishment is in order for breach of contract..."

Not wasting a second, the Frightress snapped her fingers, and this created a shockwave that separated Nick and Tsubaki, throwing the green witch backwards.

"Now you are mine, Hoshiyo."

The Frightress raised a hand towards Tsubaki, effectively freezing her in place.

With that, the Frightress turned herself into a odd purple mist and flew forward, absorbing herself into Tsubaki.

"What the hell?!" Yuki exclaimed.

All at once, a massive tremor knocked everyone to the ground, a vicious storm began to brew, and the nearby Dark Hollow began to pulse with an evil-looking light.

After what the Frightress had done, Tsubaki began to rise into the air, the electricity from the brewing storm concentrating around her.

"What's going on?!" Kurumi exclaimed. "Would someone like to explain?!"

"**At long last!!"** Tsubaki exclaimed, though the Frightress' voice could be heard whenever Tsubaki spoke now. **"At long last, my plans have come to fruition!!! There is no longer anything in this pathetic, miserable world that can stop me!!!"**

Now the storm was getting really vicious, lightning nearly completely surrounding the possessed Tsubaki.

"**I dare ANYONE to challenge my might!! There is no hope for any of you!!!"** Tsubaki proclaimed. **"This island and the entire world will be swallowed in darkness, death, and oblivion!!!"**

With that, Tsubaki seemed to undergo a frightening transformation. Her amethyst eyes shifted to a terrifying shade of red, her lavender hair became pure black, and her camellia flower became a disturbingly sharp black rose.

"**Now, witness my power!!!"** the possessed Tsubaki proclaimed, raising her hands into the air. Almost instantly, a massive beam of darkness shot from her hands, thundering into the sky and striking the Dark Hollow, causing it to expand rapidly.

Yuki had just been standing there in shock, but when she saw the Dark Hollow expanding, that was enough to snap her back to her senses.

"TSUBAKI-CHAN!!!!!" Yuki screamed, rushing towards Tsubaki, only to be stopped by Nick.

"Nick-kun, let go of me!!!" Yuki exclaimed.

"Yuki-chan, stop!!! There's nothing we can do for her right now!!!!" Nick responded, scooping Yuki into his arms and rushing off to safety with the others.

"**Now do you see?! You have no hope of stopping the power of the Frightress!!!"** the possessed Tsubaki exclaimed, laughing evilly.

Yuki could only stare on.

(Eyecatch: Yuki looks over the bushes, noticing Nick is there. A large grin on her face, Yuki leaps out, ready to glomp Nick, only to have him catch her in mid-jump. The two start laughing until Yuki plants a kiss on Nick's cheek.)


	3. Act 3: People Are Alike All Over

Act 3: People Are Alike All Over

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Okay, we should be safe here for now..."

Nick sighed as he looked about, a silent Yuki still in his arms.

"Minna?"

Everyone else appeared beside him, still quiet.

The green witch just nodded, setting the black witch down. She quickly stood up, looking down at the ground.

"Nick-kun..."

Nick just smiled, relieved that Yuki was (physically) alright.

"Yuki-chan..."

"Nick-kun, you..."

Suddenly in a movement NO ONE expected, the black witch lurched forward and grabbed Nick's shirt collar, throwing him into the wall with a harsh strength.

"YOU IDIOT!!"

"Yuki-chan!!" Kurumi exclaimed, surprised. "You shouldn't throw Nick-kun around like that!!"

"SHUT UP!!" she screamed, furious as she stepped forward, her brown eyes flashing in anger and hatred. "What was your DEAL, Nick-kun?! How could you leave Tsubaki-chan like that?!"

Nick said nothing, wiping off his cheek, sighing.

"Such strength, Yuki-chan... Now I can understand why Saiki-kun tended to give you what you wanted..."

"Leave Saiki-kun out of this!!" Yuki snapped, protective instincts perking up whenever her boyfriend was mentioned, only adding to her anger.

"You... You... You're so STUPID, Nick-kun!!"

"Yeah, tell me something I don't know..." Nick laughed weakly as he stood up...

...And this promptly earned Yuki to slap him across the face, and she growled, her eyes flashed.

"How can you laugh at a time like this?!" she demanded as she slapped him again. "Tsubaki-chan was just POSSESSED in front of our eyes, and you didn't let me save her!!"

Another slap.

"You fool, you moron, you cold-hearted creep!!"

_Slap._

"HOW COULD YOU BE SO HEARTLESS, NICK-KUN?!"

_Slap. Slap. __**Slap**__._

"That's it!!" she screamed, tears streaming out of her eyes. "I hate you!! I HATE YOU, NICK-KUN!!"

She swung her hand to slap him but Moriko grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"M-Moriko-chan, let go..!!"

Moriko simply shook her head, her expression stern.

"You shouldn't let your anger get the best of you, Yuki-chan, and that's a lot coming from me."

Yuki's eyes widened at her, tears trickling down her cheeks as she looked about, gazing at everyone's melancholy expressions.

"Everyone..."

She turned back to Nick who was just rubbing his cheek where he had been ruthlessly slapped, smearing the blood that managed to spill from the scratch, his eyes seemed blank.

Yuki's eyes widened and her anger doubled.

"Don't you... Don't you have ANYTHING to say, Nick-kun?!"

No response.

Her cheeks reddened and she snapped out of Moriko's grip, surprising her.

"Y-Yuki-chan!!"

"You..."

Yuki's brown eyes went blurry with tears as she sniffled back a sob.

"YOU JERK!!"

And with that she rushed off, crying her eyes out.

"Yuki-chan, hold up!!" Kurumi exclaimed, quickly rushing after her. "Yuki-chan!! YUKI-CHAN!!"

Nick perked up as well, his eyes wide in horror.

_Yuki-chan..._

"Nick, are you alright?" Sasami asked, bending down to his aid. "You're bleeding, and your cheek is swelling up!!"

Akemi looked at him as well, tears forming in her own eyes as she walked towards him, taking out a silk handkerchief.

"H-Here... Wipe yourself off, Nick-kun..."

"Don't get your handkerchief dirty," Nick muttered mindlessly, gently pushing away the crystal witch's hand.

"B-But Nick-kun..."

"I have to admit," Poppu stated, sighing. "I've never seen Yuki-chan have such an outburst like that before..."

"She looked so upset..." Hazuki murmured, eyes glimmering in concern. "She's always so... Well, happy around Saiki-kun..."

At that, Nick ruefully smiled.

_That's right... Saiki-kun would never make her cry... Saiki-kun would always make sure she's happy... Saiki-kun... He understands her..._

His fists clenched.

_Unlike me. I'm the one making her cry... I'm the one she gets angry at... I'm the one who can't even imagine what she's always going through... We've had our moments... But..._

"_He's such a pain!!"_

"_How can you be STUPID enough to actually think that?!"_

"_You really are an idiot..."_

"_That's it!! I hate you! I HATE YOU, NICK-KUN!!!"_

"_You... YOU JERK!!"_

_Whenever she's upset... She always lets her anger out on me..._

Nick blinked, his stare still blank.

_Yuki-chan..._

"Look Nick-kun, I understand your reasoning..." Moriko stated softly, looking off towards where Yuki had gone. "But you must remember... Yuki-chan's always been a bit dramatic."

"I honestly didn't want to leave Tsubaki-chan either, Nick..." Sasami admitted, tears filling her own ruby red eyes. "I really, _really_ wanted to stay and help her..."

The green witch huffed a bit, folding his arms.

"Of course..."

"But I trusted you, Nick." Sasami insisted, her eyes glimmering. "I trusted you, so I did what you said... Even though you didn't want me to."

Nick's eyes widened and he had to smile at that, ruffling her aqua-colored hair.

"That means a lot to me, Sasami-chan..."

"Nick-kun, tell me this." Moriko stated with a slight grin as Akemi stood up, smiling softly beside her.

Nick looked up, surprised.

"Mori-chan..."

"When Yuki-chan told you she hated you..." the jade witch pointed, her smile turning a bit empathetic. "Did your heart hurt so badly that it felt like it would stop?"

The green witch's eyes widened and she grinned, seeming content.

"Well there ya go, you love her so much that you could die right now... Yuki-chan would have to be an idiot to hate you... Well, she is an idiot for even saying that in the first place, so maybe just the stupidest person on the still broken up planet."

Nick just stared, in awe.

"Mori-chan..."

Moriko winked, sticking out her tongue.

"So what are you waiting for? Saiki-kun's not here, so it's up to you."

Nick stood up and looked towards Poppu and Hazuki, who both nodded.

He soon smiled as well, nodding.

"Got it. Thanks, Mori-chan."

"No thanks are necessary."

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Kurumi sighed as she lied against the tree, ruefully watching the black witch cry her heart out as she buried her face in her hands on the stump, her entire body shaking.

"It's bad for your composure to cry like that..." the gray witch stated softly, reaching out to lightly shake her shoulder. "You're going to end up looking really ugly..."

Yuki sniffled, unburying her face.

"It's Nick-kun's fault... What a jerk... I hate him!!"

"You know that isn't true," Kurumi snapped, her voice stern. "He only did what he did to protect you..."

"What about Tsubaki-chan?"

"It couldn't be helped, you know..."

"You're so mean, Kurumi-chan..."

"Stop acting like a spoiled child!!" the gray witch exclaimed, exasperated. "It's hard to belief that I'm talking to the SAME Yuki-chan I adored!!"

Yuki slightly looked up, her stare blank.

"It's just so hard to believe... Nick-kun abandoning Tsubaki-chan..."

Kurumi frowned, and her voice shook a bit.

"If it were Saiki-kun... Would you be this upset?"

"No," the black witch whispered, her eyes glimmering. "I would be even angrier at him than at Nick-kun... But... But I know my Saiki-kun... He'll have a reason... He always has a reason..."

"Don't you think Nick-kun does, too..."

"Huh..."

Yuki slowly thought this over, confused. Unknowist to her though, Kurumi soon noticed something strange, walking away.

"Maybe..." the black witch still stated, unaware that her look-alike was no longer around. "I really wouldn't put it past Nick-kun, actually..."

She thought over it some more and groaned.

"But I hate him!! Nothing can be helped from that... I... I know it's wrong, Kurumi-chan... But... No... Now I don't know... I want to be angry at him so badly... But I don't want to hold a grudge against him for it... I don't want to hate him... But I can't forgive him... I... I just don't know what to do..."

There were a few minutes of silence, but a voice spoke up, and it wasn't Kurumi.

"I can't blame you, Yuki-chan."

Yuki snapped up, her eyes wide as she stood up, looking numbly over her shoulder.

"Ni... Nick-kun... You heard all that?"

Nick nodded slowly, smiling regrettably.

"I'm so sorry, Yuki-chan..."

The black witch's eyes glimmered and she bit her lip, turning with a 'hmph'.

"Go away, Nick-kun... I hate you."

"Now... Please hear me out, Yuki-chan," he pleaded, approaching her as he held up his hands, palms facing her.

"Stay away..." she continued, stiffly backing up against the tree. "Don't come any closer."

"Yuki-chan..." he stated carefully, using a tone he remembered Saiki using once in order to calm the black witch down.

It had the same effect: Yuki was shaking like a leaf.

"Please stay still..." Nick continued, still playing it safe, praying that his childhood friend wouldn't run off as he reached to lightly touch her cheek.

Then the ground began shaking.

"YUKI-CHAN!!" he exclaimed, quickly pulling the black witch into his arms, trying desperately to protect her. She was still shaking, and felt as fragile as glass.

The shaking soon stopped, and they both looked up at the swirling darkness overhead.

Nick soon perked up when he heard a strangled hiccup, looking down at Yuki sniffling, tears sparkling in her glittering eyelashes.

"Yuki-chan..."

He stopped and pulled her into a tight hug, sighing.

"I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry..."

Kurumi crossed her arms as she watched the sight, and just sighed, walking off into the distance.

"Oh well, good for them."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"Nick-kun... why did you... why did you come back after everything I said?"

"Don't you understand, Yuki-chan? No matter what you've said to me, there's no way in hell I'm going to leave a friend behind..." Nick stated, trying to avoid another conflict.

Yuki responded to this by slapping Nick again. "THEN WHAT ABOUT TSUBAKI-CHAN?!!"

Rubbing the spot where he'd been struck, Nick looked back at his best friend. "Believe me, Yuki-chan, I wanted to help her as much as you did... but I KNEW there was nothing we'd be able to do. For once, this was something I didn't see coming..."

"So why'd you leave her behind?!"

"You know what would happen if we charged in there without a plan, right? Tsubaki-chan is as much my friend as she is yours, but I knew there wasn't anything we could do then..."

"THEN WHAT THE HELL ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO?!!" Yuki screamed.

For once, Nick was at a complete loss for words, something that really weirded him out.

"See?! I told you not to abandon her, and look what you did!!!"

"WILL YOU JUST LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE, YUKI-CHAN?!!"

THAT stunned pretty much everyone present. Even Nick was surprised by his temper flaring like it had.

Yuki braced herself for another outburst... only to discover that Nick now looked like he was going to cry.

"Please, Yuki-chan... you... you're my best friend... I don't know what I'd do if I lost you..." Nick gasped, trying his best not to lose his composure, something that was failing with each passing second. "You remember back when we were ten? You... you had been kidnapped by those stupid thugs..."

"I still can't get that out of my head..." Yuki responded. "But... what does this have to do with anything? You were so happy to see me when I was rescued..."

"You didn't see me before that, Yuki-chan... I was... I was so scared... I was so scared I was going to lose you..."

"WHAT?!! Nick-kun, you were actually SCARED?!" Moriko exclaimed, earning Kurumi to whack the jade witch on the arm.

"Hush, Moriko-chan. This isn't the time," Kurumi reprimanded.

"You were... actually scared? For me?" Yuki asked.

"Yuki-chan... I'm just glad you didn't see me like that... since this was before I met Momoko... I didn't have any shoulders to cry on... the girls were off investigating what was going on... I had no one to turn to... you understand why I was so scared?"

Nick looked like he was about to lose control of himself at any second. "When... when you said you hated me... I was even more scared than I was back then... I... I couldn't bear to think about what was going to happen... I... I just..."

And that was officially it for Nick and his self-control, who fell to his knees and burst into tears.

Yuki could only stare on.

"_I'm just glad you didn't see me like that..."_

"_I was so scared I was going to lose you..."_

"_That's it!! I hate you! I HATE YOU, NICK-KUN!!!"_

"_I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry..."_

Her resolve steeled, Yuki pushed herself to her feet and walked over to the crying Nick.

Unseen by Nick, Yuki bent down and threw her arms around Nick.

"I'm... I'm so sorry, Yuki-chan..."

"I'm the one who should be saying that, Nick-kun..." Yuki responded. "I shouldn't have snapped at you like that..."

"I know... you always were over-dramatic..." Nick responded.

"You know I don't really hate you, Nick-kun... I really want to stay your best friend..."

"That's what I want, too, Yuki-chan..."

Yuki leaned forward so she could kiss Nick's cheek.

"Though sometimes you drive me completely nuts, and sometimes you're a bit of an impatient pain... I could never hate you, Nick-kun. You're my best friend, and you always will be..."

Nick couldn't help but smile at that.

"But I've never actually seen you crying before today... That is so weird, Nick-kun..."

"I guess it would be kinda weird for someone like me, who's always supposed to be the strong-willed hero..." Nick teased.

"See? There we go!! That's the Nick-kun I know and love!!" Yuki giggled. "Remember, Nick-kun, you're my best friend. You always will be. Even when Saiki-kun and I get married, you'll still have a special place in my heart. Okay?"

Nick just nodded.

Then, completely surprising Yuki, Nick pressed his lips to hers for a couple seconds.

When he pulled back, Nick smiled. "Keep that a _na-i-sho_ from Momoko and Saiki-kun, okay?"

Yuki nodded back. "My lips are sealed."

Now feeling a lot better, Nick got to his feet, holding Yuki's hand. "Now, back to the business at hand... how do we free Tsubaki-chan from the Frightress?"

Sasami grinned widely. "I think I have an idea."

With that, Sasami pointed towards the Dark Hollow. "That Dark Hollow thing is the source of the Frightress' new power, right? I'm willing to bet that if we can find some way to get up to the Dark Hollow and short-circuit whatever's making it act like this, we may be able to free Tsubaki-chan and kick the Frightress' butt for doing what she did."

"Mori-chan, why don't you, Akemi-chan, and Kurumi-chan head back to the Sky Star? We'll call you in case we need you, okay?" Nick stated.

"You're leaving us BEHIND?!" Moriko exclaimed.

"We've just got to trust Nick-kun," Akemi responded.

"We'll need to stay on the island, so in case they need backup, we'll be able to fly there," Kurumi explained.

"Bingo, Kurumi-chan," Nick stated. "Sasami-chan, you, Hazuki-chan, Poppu-chan, and Yuki-chan are coming with me. We're going up to the Dark Hollow to settle our score with that witch."

"On it, Nick!!" Sasami exclaimed, her crystal hair beads glowing. Within seconds, everyone Nick mentioned had warped away.

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Once they'd reappeared, Yuki couldn't help but be awed.

"For something so scary, the Dark Hollow looks kinds cool on the inside..." Yuki stated. The Dark Hollow's interior resembled a dark and eerie mansion.

"We should probably stick to the plan," Poppu reminded the black witch.

"Poppu-chan's got a point," Nick responded. "Now there's four paths here, so we're gonna have to split up if we're gonna have any hope of finding Tsubaki-chan before it's too late. So here's how this is going to go: Yuki-chan, you take the path to the west. Poppu-chan, you go down the north way. Hazuki-chan, you head east. Sasami-chan and I are taking the south way. Everyone clear?"

"YES, SIR!!!" everyone exclaimed, to which Nick sweatdropped.

"Nice catching the reference. Now let's MOVE OUT!!!" Nick exclaimed, and with that, everyone split into their assigned teams and headed off.

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"This place is so creepy... But I like it!!"

Yuki giggled as she hopped through the corridors of the west path, beaming all the way.

"It's so dark... And mysterious... I love that!!"

_Because~_

She laughed as she spun around, as hyper as ever.

"Because, such things remind me of my Saiki-kun~"

Yuki sighed happily as she sighed, still twirling.

"I feel so good here~!!"

She suddenly perked up, back to serious.

"But that's right!! Tsubaki-chan... I have to save her!!"

Yuki rushed forward, breathing heavily.

_For Tsubaki-chan's sake... What can I do? Saiki-kun's helped me out with situations like this... Oh, I just wish he was here right now!!_

As soon as she thought those words however, she snapped up, freezing.

_Huh...?!_

Her pupils slowly shrunk in the darkness, the chocolaty brown color darkening in her irises.

She quickly shut her eyes tightly, holding her head as she staggered a bit.

"Nnn... Nooo... Don't... Urgh..."

Her eyes opened slowly, still in their possessed state.

"No... Saiki-kun..."

"Yuki-chan?"

She immediately snapped up at that voice and looked up, desperate.

"Sai... Saiki-kun?"

Indeed, there was her boyfriend standing there in front of her. Yuki slowly smiled, relieved.

"Saiki-kun..."

Saiki smiled at her, making a 'come here' gesture with his hand. She obeyed, of course, still smiling that strange delusional smile.

"Saiki-kun..."

She reached out towards him, and he disappeared under her fingertips, surprising her.

"Saiki-kun?"

_Where did he...go?_

Yuki looked about and ran forward.

"SAIKI-KUN!!"

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"Where the heck is she?!"

Poppu looked about as she rushed through the long halls, confused.

"It all looks the same to me..."

She sighed heavily, scratching the back of her head.

"I wonder... Is she even here?"

_I don't know Tsubaki-chan that well... But..._

The red witch walked forward, looking down.

_I still want to help... The last thing I want is to be overlooked as Doremi's little sister!!_

She then perked up, confused.

_Why did I just think of Doremi? Sure, she's my sister, but still..._

Poppu sighed, folding her arms.

"That's strange... All of a sudden... It's really cold in here..."

Her eyes then shot up, turning a dark magenta, and turned dazed.

_What...?_

She quickly snapped out of it, shaking her head, though her eyes were still the same.

_What's going...Onee-chan...?_

Poppu walked forward, staggering a bit.

"Ah..."

Without a second thought she broke into a sprint, huffing.

"Have to hurry!!"

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Hazuki looked around, trying her very best not to start freaking out at that time.

"Creepy... Creepy... Scary... Super crary... Hey wait a minute, that's not even a real word!!"

The orange witch adjusted her glasses, huffing.

_Now..._

"No, no, Fujiwara... You need to get a hold of yourself... Tsubaki-chan's... She's in danger..."

_So stop being a coward!!_

She shook her head, groaning.

"I hate this place so much..."

Just then she felt a cold breeze on her shoulder, and she turned shakily towards the wall, her eyes wide...

...Only to see that it was just her shadow.

Hazuki let out a sigh of relief at that.

"Okay... Now I'm really losing it..."

She laughed nervously, her glasses fogged.

"Getting scared of my own shadow!!"

Just then she noticed something from the corner of her eye, and saw that her 'shadow' was waving at her.

And that was just about it for Hazuki, who rushed the heck out of there, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"MAJORIKA~!!"

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"SAIKI-KUN, WAIT UP!!"

Yuki continued rushing through the halls, her eyes still playing tricks on her.

"Saiki-kun, where are you going? Come back..."

She reached out towards the infinite darkness...

...And that's where the floor ended, the black witch losing her balance and falling over the edge, screaming.

"NICK-KUN!!"

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"Huh?"

Nick perked up, his eyes wide as he looked around.

_What...? Suddenly... I... I..._

"Nick?"

"No, it's nothing, Sasami-chan..."

Nick forced a smile, laughing a bit.

_Well... That sure was strange... What a weird feeling..._

He suddenly sighed, bummed.

_Momoko..._

_..._

_...Wait. Why did I just think of Momoko?_

He blushed, covering his mouth in confusion.

_What's going on?_

Nick suddenly looked over, and his eyes turned dazed.

"Momoko...?"

"Nick?" Sasami wondered again when he suddenly broke into a sprint, surprising her.

"Wait, where are you going?! WAIT UP, NICK!!"

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"Whoa, this is just getting creepier..." Poppu noted as she continued rushing through her area of the Dark Hollow.

"Why did I see Doremi back there...? Was that really her or is this place just trying to mess with me?"

Poppu just decided to shrug it off and continue running.

Over rocks, through broken doors, there didn't seem to be any stopping the tiny red witch.

"I'd like to see Doremi do this sometime," Poppu giggled.

Just then, a loud roar caught Poppu's attention. She looked to her left and noticed a large, fire-red dragon flying there.

"What the heck?! Now there's DRAGONS here?!" Poppu exclaimed, pretty exasperated.

Then, Poppu noticed the dragon beckoning towards her, as if...

"Wait. Are you offering me a ride?" Poppu asked.

The dragon just nodded. The red witch wasted no time in climbing onto the dragon's back as it ferried her through the pathways of the Dark Hollow.

"WOO-HOO!!!" Poppu exclaimed. "Now THIS is the only true way to travel!!"

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"MAJORIKA, MAJORIKA, MAJORIKA, MAJORIKA, MAJORIKA, MAJORIKA!!!!" Hazuki screamed, still wildly waving her arms as she tore through the corridors, not even realizing she was plowing through multiple shadow creatures in the process.

Hazuki didn't stop screaming until she'd run into a wall, falling flat on her back.

"Ouch..." Hazuki squeaked.

Not wasting any time, Hazuki quickly leaped to her feet.

"I just hope that shadow thing is gone..."

It seemed that Hazuki had spoken too soon, as her shadow self had just returned.

"MAJORIKA!!!!"

Just as Hazuki was about to run away, Hazuki suddenly recalled something Nick had once said to both Yuki and Momoko.

"_Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality."_

"I think Kellysi-chan was right," Hazuki noted. "If I'm ever gonna be brave, I've gotta set my fears aside..."

Her mind made up and her resolve steeled, Hazuki drew her wand and prepared to face her shadow self.

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"Ouch..." Yuki groaned as she recovered from her fall. "That actually hurt a bit. But why did I see Saiki-kun back there?"

Deciding to just shrug it off for now, Yuki picked herself up and rushed down the path.

As she continued to run, creatures of darkness popped up in front of her.

"Nice try, Frightress," Yuki giggled. "You'll have to do better than that."

Yuki swung her right hand behind her. _"Shadow Claw!!!"_

Yuki slashed at each and every one of the creatures that got in her way, mowing a straight path through the creature-infested corridors.

"Yep. I'm awesome," Yuki giggled.

Yuki looked back at the path ahead, only to notice that a rather large rock was coming at her fast.

She knew she wouldn't be able to jump it in time, so what to do?

Simple. Improvise.

"_Snap, Tobiume!!"_

Not wasting a single second, Yuki summoned her weapon and slashed through the rock, parting it in the middle and allowing Yuki to get through.

"YES!!! I really am awesome!!" Yuki exclaimed.

_I'll bet Saiki-kun would have liked that one. Maybe Nick-kun would, too..._

Yuki's train of thought was interrupted when she rammed headlong into something and was sent flying backwards.

"HEY!!! Watch where you're..."

Yuki's speech stopped dead in its tracks after she saw what, or rather who, she'd bumped into.

_Ooh, boy. If someone, preferably Nick-kun or Saiki-kun, doesn't come to save me soon..._

Yuki actually looked a bit scared, but for good reason.

_...I might be screwed, huh?_

She was looking straight into the dark red eyes of the possessed Tsubaki.

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"ROCK!!!" Sasami exclaimed, Nick dodging the aforementioned obstacle with a quick step to the right.

"Would someone like to explain why there's so many freaking rocks here?!" Nick exclaimed.

"Poor designer aesthetics, I'd say," Sasami giggled, dodging more obstacles as she and Nick continued their run through the Dark Hollow.

Sasami just decided to make the best of a situation and started boosting through any other rocks that came their way.

"Um, Nick? NO MORE ROAD!!!" Sasami screamed, pointing at the path ahead.

Nick just grinned.

"Reckless time?" Sasami asked.

"You know it," Nick answered.

Not wasting any time, Nick scooped Sasami into his arms. The second Nick had hit the edge of the road, Nick leaped into the air.

The instant Nick was as high as he was going to go, he boosted forward, his now super-charged momentum carrying the two wayward teenagers to the other side of the gorge.

"How was that?" Nick asked.

Sasami just giggled.

Suddenly, something shot through Nick's head.

"What's the matter, Nick?" Sasami asked.

"Oh, god... Yuki-chan's in trouble... we'd better get moving, Sasami-chan!!" Nick exclaimed, rushing forward...

...only to nearly run headlong into a purple dragon, much bigger than the one Poppu had encountered.

"Dragon!!" Sasami exclaimed.

"Ah, man," Nick groaned. "Today just isn't my day."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Yuki gulped as she stood her ground, heart pounding.

_Tsubaki-chan... This is my chance to save her... But..._

Her eyes glimmered, as her possessed friend stood there, eyes blank.

"**So... You managed to make it here, Shinoya..."**

The black witch flinched at Frightress' voice, and sighed heavily.

"I came for Tsubaki-chan. Not you."

A smirk tugged at Tsubaki's lips.

"**My... You want to save the life of someone who betrayed you?"**

"A friend is a friend!!" Yuki snapped, her fists clenching. "Nothing will change that!!"

_Yes... Nothing..._

"_...Dirty. You're very dirty."_

"_Ah... Um... I-I'm sorry about that... I was just caught up in the moment..."_

"_I... I'm really sorry..."_

"_I-I see... You two are really close, right?"_

"_Are you feeling okay, Yuki-chan?"_

"_Thank goodness... My treasure..."_

"_Yu...Yuki-chan..."_

"_But it's always been there... And I love my treasure... It's just so precious to me..."_

"_I've always wanted to explore the world... To live somewhere more luxurious... It's always been a personal dream of mine..."_

"_You're injured so stay still."_

"_Can you really blame me?"_

"_But I'll bring you Nick. He's probably who you want to see right now... Whether you're in love with this Saiki guy or not..."_

"_You... you would really do that for me?"_

_Tsubaki-chan..._

"It doesn't matter to me that Tsubaki-chan betrayed us," Yuki stated softly, her voice firm. "A friend will always be a friend."

_Yes... Despite everything you did, Tsubaki-chan..._

"**Huh."** The possessed Tsubaki huffed, dubious. **"Words."**

_No matter what you do..._

"More than that. A promise."

Yuki grinned widely.

"And as Nick-kun always says, promises don't fade as easily as memories."

_I still like you for the cute and quiet girl you are, Tsubaki-chan... So..._

"**Don't act like you're strong enough to face me, Shinoya."**

"You think I care what you think?"

_So I'm not giving in!!_

Yuki took a defensive stance, beaming brightly.

"I'm GOING to get Tsubaki-chan back!!"

_Watashi, makenai!!_

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"Alright... Prepare yourself!!"

Hazuki gulped as she held up her poron, sighing heavily. Her shadow form mimicked her action, and a bead of sweat ran down the orange witch's cheek.

_Does it have the same powers I do? Well, no matter..._

"_Doing the best I can for my friends, take this!! Ojamajo Crescent Moon!!"_

The shadow blocked the attack, and Hazuki's bangs fell over her eyes, shocked.

_No way..._

She then gulped, her glasses fogging up.

"N-Now what?"

Her shadow seemed to be as stressed as she was, and that's when Hazuki perked up.

"That's right... I'm fighting my own shadow... And that's always there..."

_So I can't get rid of it... Of course!!_

"There's only one way to get rid of a shadow..."

Hazuki beamed, adjusting her glasses.

"I don't have to fight, I just have to be logical."

_It's so easy!!_

With that, she raised her poron, chanting her spell.

"_Paipai ponpoi puwapuwa puu! Light, shine forth!!"_

The tip of her poron flashed like a spotlight, and the orange witch's shadow faded away, earning the brunette to smile.

"That's right... They go away with light..."

Hazuki took her poron back, letting out a sigh of relief as she continued on.

"Now onto finding Tsubaki-chan..."

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"Ryu-san, where are we going?"

Poppu looked about as she road on the dragon's back, sighing.

"No Tsubaki-chan anywhere..."

The dragon roared, as if suddenly sensing danger.

This made Poppu perk up, shocked.

"What was that?!"

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The purple dragon roared at Nick and Sasami, making Sasami hide behind Nick in fear.

"I-It's scary, Nick..."

"But it doesn't appear to be hostile..." Nick observed, looking thoughtful.

"_Quite the opposite, brat. You seriously need to look where you're going... I swear, kids these days..."_

"TALKING DRAGON!!" Sasami screamed, freaked.

"Why am I not surprised? All magical creatures talk, huh?" Nick laughed a bit. "Sorry about the collision."

"_Whatever. Just leave me alone to nap_." The purple dragon roared again, though it seemed to be much more of a yawn. _"And for the record, not ALL dragons talk... But I've seen your kind so often that it isn't hard to learn your language..."_

Nick cracked a smile.

"I know how that feels... It's a little annoying when you have no idea what someone is saying to you..."

"Tell me about it."

Sasami shivered, gulping.

"You won't eat us, right?"

"_I would if I wasn't on a diet... Besides something about you two tells me you wouldn't taste very good anyway."_

Nick sweatdropped.

"Thanks... I guess."

"_Get lost."_

With that, the green witch shrugged.

"One more thing..."

"_What?"_

"What are you DOING here in the first place?"

"_Ah..."_

The dragon seemed to sigh at that, its eyes filled with an ancient sadness.

"_That is a long story, young one."_

"I'm a curious guy."

"_Very well, then."_

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Yuki gulped as she faced the possessed Tsubaki, her poron out.

_I can't hurt her... It's still Tsubaki-chan that I'm facing..._

Tsubaki smirked.

"**Such power and potential... Would you like to join your friend, Shinoya?"**

Yuki perked up, eyes wide.

"That's it!!"

She grinned, glowing a bright black.

_I'll try THIS!!_

"_DARK HAZE!!"_

With that the black witch was sucked up into the darkness, pulled into Tsubaki's body, surprising her.

"**What?!"**

The possessed Tsubaki looked at her hands, and smirked.

"**What a stupid princess."**

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"WHOA!!!! SLOW DOWN!!!!" Poppu exclaimed as her dragon mount continued to fly forward at an impressive speed.

"Why are you going so fast?!" Poppu asked.

"_One of your friends is in trouble,"_ the dragon responded. _"I must hurry if we are to save your friend."_

"WHOA!! You can talk?" Poppu exclaimed.

"_In roughly two thousand languages. But this is not the time. We must hurry."_

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"_Back in my better days, purple dragons were very rare,"_ the dragon responded. _"They were said to be the turning point of a new generation for the world."_

"They must have really liked you, huh?" Sasami asked.

"_Indeed they did... but much the same way purple dragons were revered, black dragons were feared in my time."_

"Because a black dragon represented the end of the world?" Nick wondered.

"_Good guess, boy. You're definitely smarter than you appear. Anyways, there was this one black dragon who was insanely jealous of me. He had the power to shapeshift, a power very rare in that day and age. And..."_

Nick was struck by a sudden realization. "He used that power to frame you for crimes you didn't commit?"

The purple dragon was definitely surprised by this. _"You are quite smart for your age."_

"I've seen a lot of freaky stuff in my life," Nick admitted. "So I kinda know how things like this go down."

"_Continuing on, after enough attempts, the black dragon finally got in favor with the elders, and I was banished to this godforsaken place. I have been here for many millennia now, yet I was awakened not too long ago..."_

"That must have been when the Frightress possessed Tsubaki-chan," Sasami noted. "The Dark Hollow started going crazy when that happened."

The dragon perked up at this name. _"The Frightress?! She has been released?!"_

"You know the Frightress?" Sasami asked, a little confused.

"_She was the one who taught the black dragon his powers. She is the reason I'm even locked in this godforsaken Dark Hollow!!!"_

"Maybe we could make a deal of sorts, then," Nick stated, "since we all have a common enemy here. You see, the Frightress has possessed one of our friends. So, if you could take us to the Frightress, I promise we'll get you out of here once we wipe the floor with her witch butt. That sound fair to you?"

The dragon simply nodded. _"Hop on my back. I can provide speedy transportation."_

Nick and Sasami wasted no time in climbing onto the dragon's back.

"All right, Frightress. You'd better watch out, because you're done for."

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It wasn't too long before all parties were able to make it to the very center of the Dark Hollow. Hazuki was the first to arrive, a little curious as to why no one was there.

The orange witch pretty much got the shock of her life when Poppu flew in on the back of a dragon.

"Whoa!! Poppu-chan, how'd you get here so fast?" Hazuki asked.

"Ryu-san gave me a lift," Poppu answered as her dragon mount disappeared somewhere. "I'd like to see Doremi try this sometime."

Hazuki just giggled at that.

At that very second, another dragon flew onto the scene, this one rode by Nick and Sasami. However, the dragon stopped abruptly, and the recoil sent Nick and Sasami careening into whatever was the wall in this psychedelic setting.

"Ouch..." Sasami squeaked.

"Remind me to get a seat belt for rides like this..." Nick groaned, pulling himself out from the wall.

Just then, Nick noticed something amiss. "Wait a minute... where's Yuki-chan?!"

"**You could say that she's a bit... indisposed at the time."**

Everyone present spun around at this proclamation, only to notice that the possessed Tsubaki had just appeared, her pure black hair fluttering in an invisible breeze.

"I'm only going to say this once, Frightress," Nick growled. "Get out of Tsubaki-chan, or ELSE!!!"

Tsubaki just smirked.

"**Sorry, boy, but your words mean nothing to me now,"** Tsubaki responded.

"And what did you do to Yuki-chan?!" Sasami exclaimed.

"**She didn't do anything to me, as if she could. She simply made the mistake of trying to search through my body in order to find that pitiful excuse of an island girl."**

"You did WHAT?!" Sasami nearly screamed.

"You are going to pay for that, Frightress," Nick challenged. "What you did to Yuki-chan is UNFORGIVABLE!!!"

"**Please,"** Tsubaki scoffed. **"You already said that, and you shall not get lucky again."**

His patience already past his limits, Nick summoned Hanyou Hikari, and with a roar, charged straight for Tsubaki.

The green witch was pretty surprised when Tsubaki knocked him backwards without so much as even lifting a finger.

"Lucky shot," Nick shot back, picking himself up. "But I'm not done yet!!"

Tsubaki just laughed and put up a barrier, though Nick wasted no time in wailing on the barrier with all of his might.

When his barrage was over, Nick was shocked to see that he hadn't made even a scratch on the barrier.

Not one to be discouraged easily, Nick hopped back to his feet and charged at the barrier again, striking rapidly with Hanyou Hikari.

"**Please, boy. You could at least make it a challenge!!!"** Tsubaki proclaimed, lifting her hand and shooting a powerful shockwave that knocked the wind out of Nick.

"No chance am I EVER giving up!!" Nick exclaimed, somehow managing to pick himself up and charge again.

"**You are certainly a stubborn little brat,"** Tsubaki shot back. **"Why not just go quietly to your death?!"**

With that, Tsubaki raised her hands into the air, then performed a mighty slash towards the charging Nick, slamming him straight into the wall.

When Nick was able to regain his composure, he noticed that Hanyou Hikari's blade had been broken from the force of the previous attack.

"Oh, boy... we could have a problem here," Nick noted before being attacked by Tsubaki again, this one slamming him into a nearby pillar.

Tsubaki wasted no time in firing one dark shockwave after another, the successive attacks doing some major damage to Nick. Sasami could only cringe as she watched her friend get attacked.

Yet, even after all these attacks, Nick still stood, gripping what was left of Hanyou Hikari tightly.

"**You still stand?!"** Tsubaki exclaimed. **"You just don't know when to give up..."**

"I don't even know the MEANING of the words 'give up'," Nick teased. "So you're not going to stop me, Frightress!!! No matter WHAT you do to me!!"

"**I believe I've been playing around with you long enough. It's time I end you!!"** Tsubaki exclaimed, preparing for her final attack.

"**Now be swallowed by darkness, death, and oblivion!!!"**

Tsubaki then fired her collected energy straight at Nick, causing massive damage and sending him into a tailspin.

And yet he still stood ready to fight.

"_Foolish boy!! You can not fight anymore!! This has nothing at all to do with chivalry!!"_ the purple dragon exclaimed. _"Get out of here!! RUN!!"_

Nick just shook his head, still holding the remains of Hanyou Hikari. "It... was never... about chivalry for me..."

His resolve steeled, Nick turned to face Tsubaki. "I've just gotta do what I've gotta do, that's all."

Tsubaki just laughed. **"You really think such a foolish moral will save you from my wrath, boy?!"**

Nick just smiled. "Can't hurt to try."

"**I am done messing around with you. Now TASTE OBLIVION!!!"**

However, before Tsubaki could fire off her attack, a bright flash caught her attention.

Tsubaki looked up, unable to believe what she was seeing.

"**Impossible... the Seven Star Lights... I thought they were just a myth!!"**

"The seven what now?" Sasami asked.

"_The Seven Star Lights are artifacts of immense power,"_ the dragon answered.

"So THAT'S what the Frightress was searching for!!" Poppu exclaimed.

"**Your precious Tsubaki has a powerful connection to the Seven Star Lights, and so I came to this island in search of both them and her, knowing that with their combined powers, I could conquer this pitiful land. I will not allow you to deny me!!"**

However, as Tsubaki inched closer to the Seven Star Lights, the star-shaped crystal artifacts pulsed with a bright light that pushed her away.

Just then, the Seven Star Lights began spinning around Nick and Sasami.

"I think I know what's about to happen here, Sasami-chan," Nick stated. "You ready for this?"

"Whoa... it's like I can feel the Star Lights' powers flowing into me!! This is SO AWESOME!!!" Sasami exclaimed.

Hazuki and Poppu just watched in amazement.

Responding to this simple gesture, the Seven Star Lights absorbed themselves into Nick and Sasami, covering the Dark Hollow in a bright flash.

When the light cleared enough for everyone to see, Nick and Sasami had already transformed.

Nick's hair had become golden and spiky, and Sasami's hair became a bright strawberry pink and unwove from its ponytails, now billowing behind her and giving her an exotic look. Nick's eyes had shifted from tree brown to emerald green, and Sasami's eyes shifted from amethyst red to sapphire blue.

"**So, you two still have quite a few tricks,"** Tsubaki proclaimed. **"I will not let that stop me!!"**

Not wasting any time, Tsubaki flew upwards, into the corrupted skies.

"Guess we've got to follow them," Nick noted. "As always."

"I'm ready for this, Nick!!" Sasami giggled. "Anything to save Tsubaki-chan!!"

And with that, Nick and Sasami flew off after Tsubaki.

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"**Don't get cocky... As long as I have your precious twilight princess's power along with this island girl's..."**

The possessed Tsubaki smirked, chuckling.

"**It'll be impossible to beat me."**

Nick huffed as that.

_Like I care..._

An image of Yuki twirling around a flower appeared in his mind, her beaming all the while.

_I'm GOING to keep my promise to Yuki-chan... No matter what it takes to do so!!_

"Nick," Sasami started in a soft voice, shaking a bit. "I just realized something..."

Nick perked up, surprised.

"Is something wrong, Sasami-chan?"

"If she's possessed Tsubaki-chan... And taken Yuki-chan in with her..."

Sasami's eyes glimmered, and she bit her lip.

"We won't be...hurting them, will we?"

Nick's eyes widened at that.

_That's right... It's still Tsubaki-chan's body... And Yuki-chan's energy is still in there... If we destroyed her, not only will Tsubaki-chan die, but Yuki-chan will be in danger too..._

He gulped, biting his lip.

_We'll have to yank out Frightress first... But how?_

Nick looked at Tsubaki, a sigh escaping his lips.

_Yuki-chan... Please be safe in there... You're stronger than that..._

"Nick?"

The green witch nodded towards Sasami, making her own eyes widen.

"Nick..."

_So that's his plan?_

She gulped, confident.

_Alright!! I-I'll do my best..._

Tsubaki's face flashed in her mind.

_For Tsubaki-chan... Yuki-chan, too!!_

"Okay, let's go."

"Let's, Sasami-chan."

The possessed Tsubaki smirked, red eyes glinting.

"**This will be entertaining."**

"Poppu-chan, will they really be alright?"

"Just have faith, Hazuki-chan..."

"But..."

Hazuki gulped, adjusting her glasses.

"I-I'm still worried... But this IS Kellysi-chan and Sasami-chan!!"

Poppu laughed a bit at that.

"R-Right..."

"_From a sparkle in the sky..."_ Sasami chanted.

"_To a ripple in the river..."_ Nick continued.

"_As the world shines, let us bring hope to the people we wish to protect!!!"_

Tsubaki just took caution, ready for the attack.

"_Double Ojamajo Purifying Sparkle!!"_

Nick and Sasami looked a bit surprised when the attack hit, appearing to have no effect.

Tsubaki chuckled, though winced a bit.

"**I'm much more powerful than you can imagine... Be sure to thank your friend for me."**

Nick growled, clenching his fists.

_Yuki-chan..._

"_Surely, if their friend... This Yuki girl they keep talking about..."_ the purple dragon murmured, almost surprised.

Both Poppu and Hazuki perked up.

"Oh, Yuki-chan?"

Hazuki adjusted her glasses, and sighed.

_Well... I haven't really asked Yuki-chan about this... But..._

"For some reason... These people will often call Yuki-chan the 'twilight princess'."

Poppu nodded.

_Yes... That's right..._

"According to Kellysi-chan, Yuki-chan is supposedly born with this unique twilight energy that she draws her magical energy from..."

The dragon snorted.

"_My, she must be a very strong girl if her powers have yet to have overwhelmed her..."_

"There are very few times where Yuki-chan will use her full power," the red witch stated, while Hazuki nodded.

"Yuki-chan's..." the orange witch stuttered for a few minutes.

_At least..._

"She's very resourceful..."

_I think she is..._

Hazuki frowned, a bit warily.

_I hope she is._

Poppu nodded.

_Yuki-chan's careful when it comes to that..._

She began thinking.

_Maybe it's harder on her than I thought...?_

"_Ah..."_ the purple dragon seemed content._ "Then there's no worry."_

"Huh?"

Now both witches were confused.

"What do you mean?"

"_The twilight princess can't be swallowed up in darkness..."_ the dragon growled a bit, as if it were chuckling. _"Her heart won't allow it."_

Poppu and Hazuki both blinked.

"No worry...Huh?"

Nick perked up himself upon hearing that.

_Yuki-chan's trapped, then... So she may need an extra hand..._

He smirked.

_Now I don't have to hold back. I just have to keep her alive._

Sasami perked up.

"Hey, Nick?"

Nick grinned, surprising her.

"Nick?"

"Sasami-chan..."

He winked, making her smile.

"Let's give it our all to help Yuki-chan and Tsubaki-chan."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"**What hope do you have of defeating me now?!"** Tsubaki exclaimed. **"You can't hurt me while I still have both Tsubaki and your precious friend!!"**

Nick just laughed at that. "How quickly you forget, Frightress. I promised my friends that I'd protect them any way I could. So if I have to fight one of my friends to protect them, then that's what I've going to do!!"

"**Such foolish notions,"** Tsubaki proclaimed.

"_The bow and string of a determined boy, take this!! Ojamajo Arrow of Light!!"_

Tsubaki lifted her arms up to block the attack, though she still took a good bit of damage.

"**What was that?!"** Tsubaki taunted, failing to notice that Nick was boosting right towards her.

Not wasting a second, Nick boosted straight into Tsubaki, causing a nice bit of damage.

Sasami followed this up by creating a sapphire energy ball and hurling it right at Tsubaki.

"**Futile, young one,"** Tsubaki proclaimed, easily blocking Sasami's attack. **"THIS is an attack!!!"**

With that, Tsubaki launched her retaliation, a massive wave of darkness, but Nick was over there in a flash, rather easily swatting the attack away.

"Nice try," Nick shot back. "But we won't be that easy to beat as you think we are. I've been hardened by quite a few years of fighting all sorts of magical villains, and you, Frightress, are no different."

"**I see,"** Tsubaki stated. **"So, that means I can stop holding back."**

"Just the way I like to fight," Nick responded. "No holds barred, no rules, no holding back."

Not wasting any time, Nick brought his hands forward.

"_Spectral Shot!!!"_

Nick launched a ghostly energy ball from his hands, but the attack passed right through Tsubaki.

Tsubaki was about to comment, when she was suddenly knocked back by a powerful shockwave that she didn't even see Nick use.

"My Spectral Shot is good enough to distract you while I use my real attack," Nick explained. _"Aura Crescent!!"_

Silver energy blades shot from the spinning Hanyou Hikari, which had been reformed when Nick and Sasami transformed.

"**How did you get that accursed blade back?! I thought I snapped it in two!!"** Tsubaki exclaimed.

"Funny how things can change when you're borrowing the power of the Seven Star Lights," Nick taunted.

Nick quickly joined hands with Sasami.

"_Star light, star bright..."_ Sasami chanted.

"_First star we see tonight..."_ Nick chanted.

"_As the stars light up the night of the world we wish to protect, always know that we will be watching over as protectors of the night!!"_

A heavenly glow surrounded Nick and Sasami.

"_Double Ojamajo Celestial Ripple!!!"_

The glow surrounding the two expelled itself in the form of a massive gold energy ripple that knocked Tsubaki into a tailspin.

"All right, let's try this again," Nick responded, his hands still joined with Sasami's.

"_From a sparkle in the sky..."_ Sasami chanted.

"_To a ripple in the river..."_ Nick continued.

"_As the world shines, let us bring hope to the people we wish to protect!!!"_

Nick and Sasami just smiled at each other.

"_Double Ojamajo Purifying Sparkle!!!"_

This time, the attack had an effect, knocking Tsubaki back a couple yards.

"YES!!! This is officially working!!" Sasami giggled.

"**Accursed brats!!"** Tsubaki exclaimed. **"You will not vanquish me!! I am immortal as long as I possess this body!!"**

Just then, Tsubaki suddenly lurched forward, seemingly in a bit of pain.

"**What... my power... is draining... what sorcery is this?!"**

"No sorcery of yours, Frightress," Nick proclaimed. "But it looks like Yuki-chan's doing her job."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Yuki struggled a bit in the knot she was in, where she was tied up by several cords.

Tsubaki was across from her, in the same position.

"You...know..." Yuki grinned as she inched another of the cords off, huffing. "Frightress, these cords are strings compared to everything I keep in my heart."

The black witch slowly inched out of her bind, sighing.

"You seriously think I'm going to help you hurt my friends?"

_I swear..._

"Still..."

The black witch looked towards Tsubaki, frowning at the tears that were trickling down the island girl's cheeks.

"Tsubaki-chan... You don't have the luxury of having someone important to you, right?"

She sniffled, but didn't respond.

"I'm here to help you, Tsubaki-chan... So..."

Yuki held out her hand in front of Tsubaki, smiling comfortingly.

"Let's stop Frightress, okay? Together."

Tsubaki blinked the tears out of her eyes and looked up.

Yuki's smile widened.

"Okay, Tsubaki-chan?"

That was when the scene went white, changing into a flowery field. Yuki looked around, a bit surprised.

"...Interesting..."

"...Yuki-chan?"

"Huh?"

The black witch perked up, and there was Tsubaki, holding herself together as desperately as she could.

"Tsubaki-chan...?"

"Y-Yuki-chan..." the island girl stammered, her voice cold like ice. "H-How can you say all that?"

"How?" Yuki echoed, confused. "It's all very simple, Tsubaki-chan..."

"Simple?"

Tsubaki blinked in disbelief as she stepped to the side, shivering.

"I've been alone for so long... You have to understand... Having this paradise... It's so precious to me..."

"Really?"

The black witch sighed, shrugging.

"What's in this 'paradise' of yours, Tsubaki-chan?"

"_Happiness_." She answered, her volume barely above a whisper. "That's what's there."

"Do you truly believe that, Tsubaki-chan?"

Yuki raised an eyebrow.

"What's so great about paradise if you're all alone?"

Tsubaki said nothing, but shook, her eyes glimmering.

"Tsubaki-chan," Yuki started again in a firm voice. "You have NO idea how many times there were selfish dark and evil people who offered me a paradise in exchange for my powers..."

The island girl perked up, a bit surprised by the news.

"So..."

"I understand how you feel... A little bit, anyway."

Tsubaki blinked, slowly turning her gaze to the black witch as she put her hands over her heart.

"Believe me... Back then, my heart always ached... And I would have given anything to make the pain go away..."

She clenched her fists, sucking in her breath.

"Paradise, to me... That was salvation."

Tsubaki's eyes slowly widened.

"Yuki-chan..."

"But... You know why I turned down 'paradise' when I had the chance to get what I always wanted?"

Tsubaki blinked, and Yuki just smiled at her, and closed her eyes, sighing.

"I met Saiki-kun... And I had Nick-kun by my side."

The island girl just stared her, confused.

"You had them both?"

Yuki's smile widened, and she weakly giggled.

_Yes..._

"When I met Nick-kun, I could forget the pain in my heart and be happy... It made me feel so wonderful and full to be free of the hurt like that..."

"I don't understand," Tsubaki quipped, still confused. "If you felt like THAT around Nick, then why didn't you fall in love with him?"

"Um... How should I put this...?"

Yuki laughed a bit, scratching the back of her head.

_Oh, dear... Now that I think about it..._

"With Nick-kun... Yes, the pain was gone... But there was something else that prevented us from being anything other than just best friends."

_Yes... That was it..._

"Huh?" Tsubaki blinked, cocking her head to the side.

"What was it?"

"I was still lonely."

Tsubaki's eyes went wide, and Yuki's smile turned sad as she sighed.

"With Nick-kun... I always felt lonely on the inside. While I was happy the pain was gone, I was lonely because Nick-kun loved Momo-chan... And when Nick-kun went away, the pain came back... And I ended up feeling hurt AND lonely... It drove me insane."

The black witch held up her fists, confident.

"I tried everything to not feel lonely then. I made lots of friends, but I was still lonely... Those days were really hard..."

Tsubaki gasped lightly, lightly blushing.

"Then..."

The island girl looked up, her eyes going blank when they met Yuki's earnest brown ones.

Yuki's lips slowly stretched into a smile as she said the next sentence.

"I met Saiki-kun."

_Ahhh... Whenever the two of us were together..._

"I can't explain it simply, Tsubaki-chan... But it was like this... Before, my life was the darkest night... When Nick-kun came, the sun shined and I saw all the beauty in the world..."

_I felt like I could do anything..._

"But when I met Saiki-kun... Sunlight warmed my heart, and I felt touched... I never felt so whole before in my life. I wasn't hurt, and all my loneliness just evaporated."

Tsubaki stared, still reeling all this in.

"So... You..."

"That's right."

Yuki gave her a half-grin, chuckling a bit.

"I fell for Saiki-kun like a ton of bricks. When I met him, I did EVERYTHING and kami do I mean _everything_ in my power to make sure he understood those feelings..."

Tsubaki blinked, and Yuki took her hand, pulling it up to the side of her face, making her blush like mad.

"It was amazing, so surreal... When Saiki-kun revealed he liked me too... That's why I love him so much... Saiki-kun was not only the first person to truly find the key to my heart, but he was the first person to touch it in such an amazing way..."

Yuki smiled dreamily, already filled with thoughts of her boyfriend.

"He may never understand just how much I adore him... But I'm glad that for now I can show my affection every once in a while... That was the paradise I was looking for... Even thinking of him now warms my heart..."

The black witch dropped Tsubaki's hand, and they were back to the darkness, Tsubaki still constricted by all the cables as tears slowly formed in her eyes.

"Now Tsubaki-chan... Answer this."

Yuki grinned as she took Tsubaki's chin, gently wiping away her tears.

"What do you want? This 'paradise' you were promised... Or change?"

Tsubaki sniffled, tears sparkling in her amethyst eyes.

_It hurts... It hurts so bad... But..._

She blinked silently, her eyes still on Yuki's bright smile.

_When Yuki-chan smiles like that... I feel a tiny bit warm... I want that to change... I want it all to change..._

"I-I want..."

Yuki's eyes went a little wide in expectation.

"Y-Yes?"

"I want to change, Yuki-chan," Tsubaki gasped, tears flowing freely. "I want to travel... I want to see you... I want to change so badly..."

Yuki smiled as she drew Tsubaki in a tight hug.

"That's my girl."

And just like that, all the cables were snapped.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Nick's eyes suddenly widened.

_Yuki-chan... Did she do it?_

"Nick, look!!"

Nick looked up when Tsubaki's body began glowing with a bright light, shocking her.

"**W-What is this?!"**

Everyone else sure looked surprised.

"I-It's Yuki-chan, isn't it?" Sasami squeaked, almost in disbelief. "She did it... Didn't she?"

Nick could only nod.

"**NO!!"** Tsubaki screamed as the light forced Frightress out of her body, filling up the area for a few minutes before fading.

And there were the two girls, with Yuki's arms still wrapped around Tsubaki as she was back in her original form, tears still in her eyes.

"H-How?" Frightress wondered, truly shocked.

Yuki smiled warmly, burying her face in Tsubaki's lavender hair, her hand reaching up to lovingly caress the yellow camellia.

"I made a promise... And I kept it, Tsubaki-chan."

Tsubaki blinked the remainder of tears out of her eyes, and smiled.

_It's so warm... Yuki-chan..._

"TSUBAKI-CHAN!!" Sasami squealed as the two separated, rushing over to glomp Tsubaki. "I can't believe it!! You're okay!! I'm so, so, SO happy!!"

"Well, Yuki-chan... Great work..." Nick started as he walked up to Yuki, ruffling her hair as she giggled.

"What can I say, Nick-kun? I made a promise."

Nick could only smile.

"Oh, Yuki-chan..."

"H-Hoshiyo... You little..."

"Frightress," Yuki called in a clear voice. "Let's get some things straight. Tsubaki-chan is OUR friend and she's sticking with US. The agreement you two made is void now. She's ours."

Tsubaki blushed at that.

Frightress growled.

"S-Stupid little princess..."

"Yeah, I'm stupid. What'cha gonna do about it?" Yuki shot back, grinning.

"Say, Yuki-chan?" Nick asked as he took the black witch's hand. "Now we have no reason to hold back. Let's finish this."

"I thought you'd never ask."

Tsubaki smiled softly, eyes glittering.

"G-Good luck... You two..."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

_All right..._ Nick thought. _No more holding back. No more games. No more false accusations. No more ANYTHING. I'm putting an end to this right now!!!_

"Yuki-chan, let's do this," Nick stated, extending his hands towards Yuki, who gladly took them into her own.

Through this friendly gesture, Nick began channeling some of his power into Yuki, who eventually transformed into her own super form.

"All right, time to put an end to this!!" Yuki exclaimed, shifting into fighting stance alongside the also super-powered Nick and Sasami.

_You... never really understood me_

_You... always put me down_

"I'd like to see you try!! I still have power, so there's no way you will be able to stop me!!" the Frightress exclaimed.

"When are you going to understand, Frightress? You're DONE!!!" Yuki exclaimed. "Apparently, you're too stubborn to accept it!!"

Yuki raised her hands towards the weakened Frightress.

_Like... a dog that's beaten over and over_

_One day I'm gonna take you down_

"_The waves of my own feelings, take this!! Ojamajo Twilight Rain!!"_

The twilight energy bursts hammered at the Frightress, causing some serious damage.

"Wretched brats..." Frightress growled.

"My turn, my turn!!" Sasami exclaimed, stepping forward.

Sasami began waving her hands in an intricate pattern before thrusting them towards the Frightress.

"_Solar Ring!!"_

_This is who I am, not a shadow of who I want to be_

_Try to understand_

_That this is what you made me, and you're not ever gonna change me_

At this call, a massive ring of energy shot from Sasami's open palms and struck the Frightress, causing quite a bit of damage.

"You... you wretched brats!!!" the Frightress exclaimed, charging towards Tsubaki, only to have Yuki swat the witch away.

"Not this time!!" Yuki exclaimed, readying her next attack.

Just then, Nick pushed her back gently, causing the black witch to blush. "Alternate," was the only word Nick said.

Not wasting any time as the Frightress came charging back, Nick brought his hands behind him.

"_The bow and string of a determined boy, take this!! Ojamajo Arrow of Light!!"_

When the Frightress was close enough, Nick unleashed an Ojamajo Arrow of Light unlike any he'd unleashed before, the massive burst of emerald energy sending the Frightress into a tailspin.

_You... underestimate my sorrow_

_How... the wreckage of my life_

"How... how do you have so much power?!" Frightress exclaimed, completely dumbfounded.

"It's really quite simple, freak show," Yuki taunted. "Why don't you tell her, Nick-kun?"

"I'd be glad to, Yuki-chan," Nick responded.

_I... tried so many times to tell you_

_The silence down in both of us (no more excuses)_

"Like I'd listen to you!! I am all-powerful!!" Frightress proclaimed, only to be interrupted by another Solar Ring from Sasami.

"God, do you EVER shut up, Frightress?" Sasami groaned.

"You really don't understand, do you?" Nick stated.

_This is who I am, not a shadow of who I want to be_

_Try to understand_

_That this is what you made me, and you're not ever gonna change me_

Yuki and Sasami floated closer to Nick as he said his piece. "The desire for power doesn't make you powerful in the slightest. We all have our own specific sources of power. For example, me. I fight for my friends. Their belief in me is what gives me my strength. I remember something someone told me once. They said that true strength comes from protecting those you care about. That's the principle I've lived my whole life by."

_You have made me, you can't change me_

_You don't know me, this is who I am_

Nick smirked, his golden hair glowing brightly. "Now, you're about to see first-hand the power I get from my friends!!!"

Nick raised his hands into the air.

"_As a promise from past to future, take this!! Ojamajo Heavenly Light!!"_

A bright light burst from Nick's hands, stunning the Frightress and doing quite a lot of damage.

_You have made me, you can't change me_

_You don't know me, this is who I am!_

Then, to everyone's surprise, Tsubaki stepped up. "Let me try."

Not wasting a second, Tsubaki brought out her bow and arrows, ready to fight to the end.

"No!! It's not possible that I lose!!" Frightress exclaimed.

"Why don't you give it a rest?" Tsubaki shot back, firing one of her holy arrows straight through the Frightress.

Tsubaki didn't stop there, firing arrow after arrow for the Frightress and causing some hefty damage.

_This is who I am, not a shadow of who I want to be_

_Try to understand_

_That this is what you made me, and you're not ever gonna change me_

"She's getting weak!!! Girls, let's combine our powers so Nick-kun can finish her off!!" Yuki exclaimed.

Tsubaki and Sasami nodded, joining Yuki as they all put their hands together and focused their energy.

After a few seconds, a rainbow beam of energy shot towards Nick, who easily absorbed the power sent by his friends. Almost instantly, his aura pulsed ferociously and his golden hair began glowing even brighter than it had before.

"All right, time to put an end to this!!" Nick exclaimed, flying over to the weakened Frightress and aiming his hands towards her.

_You have made me, you can't change me_

_You don't know me, this is who I am_

The Frightress knew that she was about to be destroyed if she didn't move, so she did just that, teleporting all around the distorted area and moving too fast for Nick to get a lock on.

"Could someone hold her still?!" Nick exclaimed.

_You have made me, you can't change me_

_You don't know me, this is who I am_

"On it, Nick-kun!!" Yuki exclaimed.

"_Pururunu pikapikan chanchii!! Hold the dark witch in her place!!"_

Yuki's spell froze the Frightress in her place.

Nick smirked widely. "Now you're done."

_You have made me, you can't change me_

_You don't know me, this is who I am!!_

"NO!!! I am insurmountable!!!" the Frightress exclaimed.

Nick just smirked and said three words.

"Go... to... hell."

And with that, Nick let his collected energy loose in the form of a massive aura blast that enveloped and completely destroyed the Frightress.

Once the coast was clear and there was no sign of the Frightress (Nick couldn't sense her aura anymore, so he knew their job was done), Nick wiped a bead of sweat off of his forehead.

"Aha... we win."

And with that, Nick reverted out of his super form and started falling, but luckily, Yuki had flown up to catch him.

"Good job, Nick-kun," Yuki stated, leaning forward to kiss Nick on the cheek.

"What'd you expect?" Nick responded. "I'm awesome like that."

"All right, everybody, what do you say we get out of here?" Sasami asked.

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"NICK-KUN!! YUKI-CHAN!! SASAMI-CHAN!!"

"KURUMI-CHAN!!" Yuki exclaimed as they rushed out to meet Kurumi, Moriko, and Akemi, all in the Sky Star, the gray witch waving with a grin.

"Looks like we came just in time!!"

"I can't believe you can actually fly that thing," Nick laughed, earning Kurumi to roll her eyes.

"PLEASE... Just jump in already!!"

"Okay!!" Sasami exclaimed, hopping into the back seat, and Yuki just took Tsubaki's hand, making her blush.

"Let's go, Tsubaki-chan. You're coming with us."

"_One last thing you kids,"_ the purple dragon called out as he flew away. _"THANKS!!"_

"No problem!!" Nick shouted back, confusing Moriko.

"My... We missed a lot, didn't we?"

Akemi just giggled. "That's fine, Moriko-chan..."

Poppu grinned. "Alright!! And we're off!!"

"Kurumi-chan, if you mind..." Hazuki stated as Kurumi backed into the second seat, allowing the brunette access to the controls.

Nick quickly jumped in, the others following him with Tsubaki the last one.

"Okay, off to Shamar!!"

"Alrighty," Hazuki giggled as she worked, the Sky Star raising into the area as it zoomed away.

"Ah..." Tsubaki looked over the side, her eyes widening more and more and her island appeared to shrink.

"My island... I'm really going to miss that place..."

"Even the pitfalls?" Yuki teased, squeezing her hand in comfort. Tsubaki just smiled.

"Maybe, Yuki-chan."

Nick smiled at the two girls, while Sasami giggled.

"Well then, we have a lot of work to do..."

"Tell me about it," Moriko stated. "Is Majotourbillon gone, though?"

At that, Nick flinched, biting his lip. "Her aura's back... I guess she's okay..."

"So... Does that mean she owes us now?" Sasami asked, her eyes wide.

"I suppose so... But I'd LOVE to see the day she'll return the favor..." he chuckled. "But... I'll have to say... It'll be so boring without her in our way..."

"Sheesh Nick-kun," Kurumi sighed, flipping a bit of her black hair. "You're so weird."

Nick just shrugged at that.

"Eh. What can I say?"

"You're really going to like traveling with us, Tsubaki-chan," Sasami rambled up, as excited as a kid on their birthday. "There's just so, so, SO many places!!"

Tsubaki just nodded.

"I wonder about that..."

She perked up when Yuki patted her head, making her blush.

"Y-Yuki-chan?"

The black witch grinned.

"Just relieved is all."

Tsubaki slowly blinked, and just smiled brightly.

_I think..._

"Oh, I see!!"

Yuki nodded, beaming.

"Ha-ha..."

The island girl soon sighed, and looked towards the growing distance between her and her island.

_This is good-bye... To the place I grew to love... But..._

She smiled towards Yuki, and a blush bloomed in her cheeks.

_I... I finally found..._

"Yuki-chan?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

_I think... I finally found what I was looking for..._

(Note from Yuki: And here's the ending sequence, "Lucky & Happy" by Megumi Hayashibara!!)

_kitto hajimatta bakari ne senri no michi mo ippo kara_

(Footage: The Sky Star is seen flying over the seas, and Tsubaki is seen watching with a far-off gaze, she soon sighs happily.)

_saisho ha dare demo hajimete osorenai koto_

(Footage: The Sky Star soon stops on a nearby island for fuel, and Yuki quickly rushes off somewhere, Tsubaki soon running after her.)

_sore ga ichiban ne_

(Footage: Nick and Sasami just look at each other, and follow after the black witch as well.)

_sukina michi erande yokatta_

(Footage: Yuki is seen shakily dialing a number, waiting for it to ring as she hears a voice perk up, and she turns relieved.)

_arigatou kami-sama_

(Footage: Tsubaki soon smiles at the sight, and deducts that the black witch just called up Saiki.)

_ima no LUCKY taisetsu ni shite HAPPY tsuzukete ikou_

(Footage: Akemi and Moriko grin at each other, and Kurumi laughs as she's explaining recent happenings to Poppu and Hazuki. Sasami soon walks up, a look of confusion on her face.)

_saa ikioi ni notte BANG! BANG! BANG!_

(Footage: Nick walks up and puts his arm around Sasami, making her blush. Yuki and Tsubaki soon walk up hand in hand, and Yuki's hand tightens around hers.)

_sou yo LUCKY_

(Footage: Tsubaki soon waves at the screen.)

_ima ga sono toki HAPPY chansu ha tsukanda_

(Footage: They all board the plane again and they soon fly off into the sunset.)

_kenmei ni ikiyou_

(Footage: Tsubaki smiles one last time and closes her eyes, sighing.)

"Hey... Nick-kun?"

Nick looked up at the night sky as he sighed, turning to Yuki who giggled as she pointed to Tsubaki and Sasami, sleeping side by side.

"What is it, Yuki-chan?"

"We can't take Tsubaki-chan on this journey and you know that..." Yuki sighed, looking towards Nick with questioning in her eyes.

"What should we do?"

Nick sighed, looking towards the sleeping Poppu and then to Akemi and Moriko, who were also out of it.

"I guess that's up to Tsubaki-chan."

"Huh..."

Yuki looked up at the stars.

"I want to see Saiki-kun soon... Very soon."

"At least you know he's alright," Nick sighed as he scooted closer to the black witch. "I still have no idea where Momoko could be..."

"Yes... That's true..."

Tsubaki twitched in her sleep, and her camellia glowed for a bit, though this was unnoticed.

Yuki yawned, resting herself against Nick's shoulder.

"We'll be reunited with them soon, won't we Nick-kun?"

"Of course, Yuki-chan."

"That's good..."

The black witch soon drifted off to sleep, and Nick sighed, fiddling with a strand of black hair.

_Yes... You still have a reason to be happy... Yuki-chan..._

He looked up, and closed his eyes, sighing.

_What's next, huh?_

He breathed in his best friend's sweet fragrance, and sighed.

_Momoko..._

(From Yuki: And that's the end. Yes, it is. UGH.)

(From Nick: Yeah, it always stinks when it's over.)


End file.
